Moving Data Between Tiers In A Multi-Tiered, Cloud-Based Storage System

ABSTRACT

Staging data in a cloud-based storage system, including: receiving, by a storage controller application executing on cloud computing resources in a cloud-based storage system, a data storage operation from a computer device, wherein the cloud-based storage system includes a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage; storing data corresponding to the data storage operation within the first tier of cloud storage provided using a first cloud storage service; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring the data in the first tier of cloud storage to a second tier of cloud storage provided using a second cloud storage service, wherein the first cloud storage service is different than the second cloud storage service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation application for patent entitled to a filing date and claiming the benefit of earlier-filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/524,861, filed Jul. 29, 2019, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a first example system for data storage in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 1B illustrates a second example system for data storage in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 1C illustrates a third example system for data storage in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 1D illustrates a fourth example system for data storage in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a storage cluster with multiple storage nodes and internal storage coupled to each storage node to provide network attached storage, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing an interconnect switch coupling multiple storage nodes in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2C is a multiple level block diagram, showing contents of a storage node and contents of one of the non-volatile solid state storage units in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2D shows a storage server environment, which uses embodiments of the storage nodes and storage units of some previous figures in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2E is a blade hardware block diagram, showing a control plane, compute and storage planes, and authorities interacting with underlying physical resources, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2F depicts elasticity software layers in blades of a storage cluster, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2G depicts authorities and storage resources in blades of a storage cluster, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3A sets forth a diagram of a storage system that is coupled for data communications with a cloud services provider in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B sets forth a diagram of a storage system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3C sets forth a diagram of a storage system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3D sets forth a diagram of a storage system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 sets forth a block diagram illustrating a plurality of storage systems that support a pod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of establishing a synchronous replication relationship between two or more storage systems according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of establishing a synchronous replication relationship between two or more storage systems according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of establishing a synchronous replication relationship between two or more storage systems according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 sets forth a block diagram illustrating a plurality of storage systems that support a pod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 sets forth an example of a cloud-based storage system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system.

FIG. 11 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system.

FIG. 12 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system.

FIG. 13 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an additional example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system.

FIG. 14 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data in a cloud-based storage system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data in a cloud-based storage system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data in a cloud-based storage system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data in a cloud-based storage system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Example methods, apparatus, and products for staging data in a cloud-based storage system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, beginning with FIG. 1A. FIG. 1A illustrates an example system for data storage, in accordance with some implementations. System 100 (also referred to as “storage system” herein) includes numerous elements for purposes of illustration rather than limitation. It may be noted that system 100 may include the same, more, or fewer elements configured in the same or different manner in other implementations.

System 100 includes a number of computing devices 164A-B. Computing devices (also referred to as “client devices” herein) may be embodied, for example, a server in a data center, a workstation, a personal computer, a notebook, or the like. Computing devices 164A-B may be coupled for data communications to one or more storage arrays 102A-B through a storage area network (‘SAN’) 158 or a local area network (‘LAN’) 160.

The SAN 158 may be implemented with a variety of data communications fabrics, devices, and protocols. For example, the fabrics for SAN 158 may include Fibre Channel, Ethernet, InfiniBand, Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (‘SAS’), or the like. Data communications protocols for use with SAN 158 may include Advanced Technology Attachment (‘ATA’), Fibre Channel Protocol, Small Computer System Interface (‘SCSI’), Internet Small Computer System Interface (‘iSCSI’), HyperSCSI, Non-Volatile Memory Express (‘NVMe’) over Fabrics, or the like. It may be noted that SAN 158 is provided for illustration, rather than limitation. Other data communication couplings may be implemented between computing devices 164A-B and storage arrays 102A-B.

The LAN 160 may also be implemented with a variety of fabrics, devices, and protocols. For example, the fabrics for LAN 160 may include Ethernet (802.3), wireless (802.11), or the like. Data communication protocols for use in LAN 160 may include Transmission Control Protocol (‘TCP’), User Datagram Protocol (‘UDP’), Internet Protocol (‘IP’), HyperText Transfer Protocol (‘HTTP’), Wireless Access Protocol (‘WAP’), Handheld Device Transport Protocol (‘HDTP’), Session Initiation Protocol (SIT), Real Time Protocol (‘RTP’), or the like.

Storage arrays 102A-B may provide persistent data storage for the computing devices 164A-B. Storage array 102A may be contained in a chassis (not shown), and storage array 102B may be contained in another chassis (not shown), in implementations. Storage array 102A and 102B may include one or more storage array controllers 110A-D (also referred to as “controller” herein). A storage array controller 110A-D may be embodied as a module of automated computing machinery comprising computer hardware, computer software, or a combination of computer hardware and software. In some implementations, the storage array controllers 110A-D may be configured to carry out various storage tasks. Storage tasks may include writing data received from the computing devices 164A-B to storage array 102A-B, erasing data from storage array 102A-B, retrieving data from storage array 102A-B and providing data to computing devices 164A-B, monitoring and reporting of disk utilization and performance, performing redundancy operations, such as Redundant Array of Independent Drives (‘RAID’) or RAID-like data redundancy operations, compressing data, encrypting data, and so forth.

Storage array controller 110A-D may be implemented in a variety of ways, including as a Field Programmable Gate Array (‘FPGA’), a Programmable Logic Chip (‘PLC’), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (‘ASIC’), System-on-Chip (‘SOC’), or any computing device that includes discrete components such as a processing device, central processing unit, computer memory, or various adapters. Storage array controller 110A-D may include, for example, a data communications adapter configured to support communications via the SAN 158 or LAN 160. In some implementations, storage array controller 110A-D may be independently coupled to the LAN 160. In implementations, storage array controller 110A-D may include an I/O controller or the like that couples the storage array controller 110A-D for data communications, through a midplane (not shown), to a persistent storage resource 170A-B (also referred to as a “storage resource” herein). The persistent storage resource 170A-B main include any number of storage drives 171A-F (also referred to as “storage devices” herein) and any number of non-volatile Random Access Memory (‘NVRAM’) devices (not shown).

In some implementations, the NVRAM devices of a persistent storage resource 170A-B may be configured to receive, from the storage array controller 110A-D, data to be stored in the storage drives 171A-F. In some examples, the data may originate from computing devices 164A-B. In some examples, writing data to the NVRAM device may be carried out more quickly than directly writing data to the storage drive 171A-F. In implementations, the storage array controller 110A-D may be configured to utilize the NVRAM devices as a quickly accessible buffer for data destined to be written to the storage drives 171A-F. Latency for write requests using NVRAM devices as a buffer may be improved relative to a system in which a storage array controller 110A-D writes data directly to the storage drives 171A-F. In some implementations, the NVRAM devices may be implemented with computer memory in the form of high bandwidth, low latency RAM. The NVRAM device is referred to as “non-volatile” because the NVRAM device may receive or include a unique power source that maintains the state of the RAM after main power loss to the NVRAM device. Such a power source may be a battery, one or more capacitors, or the like. In response to a power loss, the NVRAM device may be configured to write the contents of the RAM to a persistent storage, such as the storage drives 171A-F.

In implementations, storage drive 171A-F may refer to any device configured to record data persistently, where “persistently” or “persistent” refers as to a device's ability to maintain recorded data after loss of power. In some implementations, storage drive 171A-F may correspond to non-disk storage media. For example, the storage drive 171A-F may be one or more solid-state drives (‘SSDs’), flash memory based storage, any type of solid-state non-volatile memory, or any other type of non-mechanical storage device. In other implementations, storage drive 171A-F may include mechanical or spinning hard disk, such as hard-disk drives (‘HDD’).

In some implementations, the storage array controllers 110A-D may be configured for offloading device management responsibilities from storage drive 171A-F in storage array 102A-B. For example, storage array controllers 110A-D may manage control information that may describe the state of one or more memory blocks in the storage drives 171A-F. The control information may indicate, for example, that a particular memory block has failed and should no longer be written to, that a particular memory block contains boot code for a storage array controller 110A-D, the number of program-erase (‘P/E’) cycles that have been performed on a particular memory block, the age of data stored in a particular memory block, the type of data that is stored in a particular memory block, and so forth. In some implementations, the control information may be stored with an associated memory block as metadata. In other implementations, the control information for the storage drives 171A-F may be stored in one or more particular memory blocks of the storage drives 171A-F that are selected by the storage array controller 110A-D. The selected memory blocks may be tagged with an identifier indicating that the selected memory block contains control information. The identifier may be utilized by the storage array controllers 110A-D in conjunction with storage drives 171A-F to quickly identify the memory blocks that contain control information. For example, the storage controllers 110A-D may issue a command to locate memory blocks that contain control information. It may be noted that control information may be so large that parts of the control information may be stored in multiple locations, that the control information may be stored in multiple locations for purposes of redundancy, for example, or that the control information may otherwise be distributed across multiple memory blocks in the storage drive 171A-F.

In implementations, storage array controllers 110A-D may offload device management responsibilities from storage drives 171A-F of storage array 102A-B by retrieving, from the storage drives 171A-F, control information describing the state of one or more memory blocks in the storage drives 171A-F. Retrieving the control information from the storage drives 171A-F may be carried out, for example, by the storage array controller 110A-D querying the storage drives 171A-F for the location of control information for a particular storage drive 171A-F. The storage drives 171A-F may be configured to execute instructions that enable the storage drive 171A-F to identify the location of the control information. The instructions may be executed by a controller (not shown) associated with or otherwise located on the storage drive 171A-F and may cause the storage drive 171A-F to scan a portion of each memory block to identify the memory blocks that store control information for the storage drives 171A-F. The storage drives 171A-F may respond by sending a response message to the storage array controller 110A-D that includes the location of control information for the storage drive 171A-F. Responsive to receiving the response message, storage array controllers 110A-D may issue a request to read data stored at the address associated with the location of control information for the storage drives 171A-F.

In other implementations, the storage array controllers 110A-D may further offload device management responsibilities from storage drives 171A-F by performing, in response to receiving the control information, a storage drive management operation. A storage drive management operation may include, for example, an operation that is typically performed by the storage drive 171A-F (e.g., the controller (not shown) associated with a particular storage drive 171A-F). A storage drive management operation may include, for example, ensuring that data is not written to failed memory blocks within the storage drive 171A-F, ensuring that data is written to memory blocks within the storage drive 171A-F in such a way that adequate wear leveling is achieved, and so forth.

In implementations, storage array 102A-B may implement two or more storage array controllers 110A-D. For example, storage array 102A may include storage array controllers 110A and storage array controllers 110B. At a given instance, a single storage array controller 110A-D (e.g., storage array controller 110A) of a storage system 100 may be designated with primary status (also referred to as “primary controller” herein), and other storage array controllers 110A-D (e.g., storage array controller 110A) may be designated with secondary status (also referred to as “secondary controller” herein). The primary controller may have particular rights, such as permission to alter data in persistent storage resource 170A-B (e.g., writing data to persistent storage resource 170A-B). At least some of the rights of the primary controller may supersede the rights of the secondary controller. For instance, the secondary controller may not have permission to alter data in persistent storage resource 170A-B when the primary controller has the right. The status of storage array controllers 110A-D may change. For example, storage array controller 110A may be designated with secondary status, and storage array controller 110B may be designated with primary status.

In some implementations, a primary controller, such as storage array controller 110A, may serve as the primary controller for one or more storage arrays 102A-B, and a second controller, such as storage array controller 110B, may serve as the secondary controller for the one or more storage arrays 102A-B. For example, storage array controller 110A may be the primary controller for storage array 102A and storage array 102B, and storage array controller 110B may be the secondary controller for storage array 102A and 102B. In some implementations, storage array controllers 110C and 110D (also referred to as “storage processing modules”) may neither have primary or secondary status. Storage array controllers 110C and 110D, implemented as storage processing modules, may act as a communication interface between the primary and secondary controllers (e.g., storage array controllers 110A and 110B, respectively) and storage array 102B. For example, storage array controller 110A of storage array 102A may send a write request, via SAN 158, to storage array 102B. The write request may be received by both storage array controllers 110C and 110D of storage array 102B. Storage array controllers 110C and 110D facilitate the communication, e.g., send the write request to the appropriate storage drive 171A-F. It may be noted that in some implementations storage processing modules may be used to increase the number of storage drives controlled by the primary and secondary controllers.

In implementations, storage array controllers 110A-D are communicatively coupled, via a midplane (not shown), to one or more storage drives 171A-F and to one or more NVRAM devices (not shown) that are included as part of a storage array 102A-B. The storage array controllers 110A-D may be coupled to the midplane via one or more data communication links and the midplane may be coupled to the storage drives 171A-F and the NVRAM devices via one or more data communications links. The data communications links described herein are collectively illustrated by data communications links 108A-D and may include a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (‘PCIe’) bus, for example.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example system for data storage, in accordance with some implementations. Storage array controller 101 illustrated in FIG. 1B may be similar to the storage array controllers 110A-D described with respect to FIG. 1A. In one example, storage array controller 101 may be similar to storage array controller 110A or storage array controller 110B. Storage array controller 101 includes numerous elements for purposes of illustration rather than limitation. It may be noted that storage array controller 101 may include the same, more, or fewer elements configured in the same or different manner in other implementations. It may be noted that elements of FIG. 1A may be included below to help illustrate features of storage array controller 101.

Storage array controller 101 may include one or more processing devices 104 and random access memory (‘RAM’) 111. Processing device 104 (or controller 101) represents one or more general-purpose processing devices such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. More particularly, the processing device 104 (or controller 101) may be a complex instruction set computing (‘CISC’) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (‘RISC’) microprocessor, very long instruction word (‘VLIW’) microprocessor, or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing device 104 (or controller 101) may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (‘ASIC’), a field programmable gate array (‘FPGA’), a digital signal processor (‘DSP’), network processor, or the like.

The processing device 104 may be connected to the RAM 111 via a data communications link 106, which may be embodied as a high speed memory bus such as a Double-Data Rate 4 (‘DDR4’) bus. Stored in RAM 111 is an operating system 112. In some implementations, instructions 113 are stored in RAM 111. Instructions 113 may include computer program instructions for performing operations in in a direct-mapped flash storage system. In one embodiment, a direct-mapped flash storage system is one that that addresses data blocks within flash drives directly and without an address translation performed by the storage controllers of the flash drives.

In implementations, storage array controller 101 includes one or more host bus adapters 103A-C that are coupled to the processing device 104 via a data communications link 105A-C. In implementations, host bus adapters 103A-C may be computer hardware that connects a host system (e.g., the storage array controller) to other network and storage arrays. In some examples, host bus adapters 103A-C may be a Fibre Channel adapter that enables the storage array controller 101 to connect to a SAN, an Ethernet adapter that enables the storage array controller 101 to connect to a LAN, or the like. Host bus adapters 103A-C may be coupled to the processing device 104 via a data communications link 105A-C such as, for example, a PCIe bus.

In implementations, storage array controller 101 may include a host bus adapter 114 that is coupled to an expander 115. The expander 115 may be used to attach a host system to a larger number of storage drives. The expander 115 may, for example, be a SAS expander utilized to enable the host bus adapter 114 to attach to storage drives in an implementation where the host bus adapter 114 is embodied as a SAS controller.

In implementations, storage array controller 101 may include a switch 116 coupled to the processing device 104 via a data communications link 109. The switch 116 may be a computer hardware device that can create multiple endpoints out of a single endpoint, thereby enabling multiple devices to share a single endpoint. The switch 116 may, for example, be a PCIe switch that is coupled to a PCIe bus (e.g., data communications link 109) and presents multiple PCIe connection points to the midplane.

In implementations, storage array controller 101 includes a data communications link 107 for coupling the storage array controller 101 to other storage array controllers. In some examples, data communications link 107 may be a QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) interconnect.

A traditional storage system that uses traditional flash drives may implement a process across the flash drives that are part of the traditional storage system. For example, a higher level process of the storage system may initiate and control a process across the flash drives. However, a flash drive of the traditional storage system may include its own storage controller that also performs the process. Thus, for the traditional storage system, a higher level process (e.g., initiated by the storage system) and a lower level process (e.g., initiated by a storage controller of the storage system) may both be performed.

To resolve various deficiencies of a traditional storage system, operations may be performed by higher level processes and not by the lower level processes. For example, the flash storage system may include flash drives that do not include storage controllers that provide the process. Thus, the operating system of the flash storage system itself may initiate and control the process. This may be accomplished by a direct-mapped flash storage system that addresses data blocks within the flash drives directly and without an address translation performed by the storage controllers of the flash drives.

The operating system of the flash storage system may identify and maintain a list of allocation units across multiple flash drives of the flash storage system. The allocation units may be entire erase blocks or multiple erase blocks. The operating system may maintain a map or address range that directly maps addresses to erase blocks of the flash drives of the flash storage system.

Direct mapping to the erase blocks of the flash drives may be used to rewrite data and erase data. For example, the operations may be performed on one or more allocation units that include a first data and a second data where the first data is to be retained and the second data is no longer being used by the flash storage system. The operating system may initiate the process to write the first data to new locations within other allocation units and erasing the second data and marking the allocation units as being available for use for subsequent data. Thus, the process may only be performed by the higher level operating system of the flash storage system without an additional lower level process being performed by controllers of the flash drives.

Advantages of the process being performed only by the operating system of the flash storage system include increased reliability of the flash drives of the flash storage system as unnecessary or redundant write operations are not being performed during the process. One possible point of novelty here is the concept of initiating and controlling the process at the operating system of the flash storage system. In addition, the process can be controlled by the operating system across multiple flash drives. This is contrast to the process being performed by a storage controller of a flash drive.

A storage system can consist of two storage array controllers that share a set of drives for failover purposes, or it could consist of a single storage array controller that provides a storage service that utilizes multiple drives, or it could consist of a distributed network of storage array controllers each with some number of drives or some amount of Flash storage where the storage array controllers in the network collaborate to provide a complete storage service and collaborate on various aspects of a storage service including storage allocation and garbage collection.

FIG. 1C illustrates a third example system 117 for data storage in accordance with some implementations. System 117 (also referred to as “storage system” herein) includes numerous elements for purposes of illustration rather than limitation. It may be noted that system 117 may include the same, more, or fewer elements configured in the same or different manner in other implementations.

In one embodiment, system 117 includes a dual Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCP) flash storage device 118 with separately addressable fast write storage. System 117 may include a storage controller 119. In one embodiment, storage controller 119A-D may be a CPU, ASIC, FPGA, or any other circuitry that may implement control structures necessary according to the present disclosure. In one embodiment, system 117 includes flash memory devices (e.g., including flash memory devices 120 a-n), operatively coupled to various channels of the storage device controller 119. Flash memory devices 120 a-n, may be presented to the controller 119A-D as an addressable collection of Flash pages, erase blocks, and/or control elements sufficient to allow the storage device controller 119A-D to program and retrieve various aspects of the Flash. In one embodiment, storage device controller 119A-D may perform operations on flash memory devices 120 a-n including storing and retrieving data content of pages, arranging and erasing any blocks, tracking statistics related to the use and reuse of Flash memory pages, erase blocks, and cells, tracking and predicting error codes and faults within the Flash memory, controlling voltage levels associated with programming and retrieving contents of Flash cells, etc.

In one embodiment, system 117 may include RAM 121 to store separately addressable fast-write data. In one embodiment, RAM 121 may be one or more separate discrete devices. In another embodiment, RAM 121 may be integrated into storage device controller 119A-D or multiple storage device controllers. The RAM 121 may be utilized for other purposes as well, such as temporary program memory for a processing device (e.g., a CPU) in the storage device controller 119.

In one embodiment, system 117 may include a stored energy device 122, such as a rechargeable battery or a capacitor. Stored energy device 122 may store energy sufficient to power the storage device controller 119, some amount of the RAM (e.g., RAM 121), and some amount of Flash memory (e.g., Flash memory 120 a-120 n) for sufficient time to write the contents of RAM to Flash memory. In one embodiment, storage device controller 119A-D may write the contents of RAM to Flash Memory if the storage device controller detects loss of external power.

In one embodiment, system 117 includes two data communications links 123 a, 123 b. In one embodiment, data communications links 123 a, 123 b may be PCI interfaces. In another embodiment, data communications links 123 a, 123 b may be based on other communications standards (e.g., HyperTransport, InfiniBand, etc.). Data communications links 123 a, 123 b may be based on non-volatile memory express (‘NVMe’) or NVMe over fabrics (‘NVMf’) specifications that allow external connection to the storage device controller 119A-D from other components in the storage system 117. It should be noted that data communications links may be interchangeably referred to herein as PCI buses for convenience.

System 117 may also include an external power source (not shown), which may be provided over one or both data communications links 123 a, 123 b, or which may be provided separately. An alternative embodiment includes a separate Flash memory (not shown) dedicated for use in storing the content of RAM 121. The storage device controller 119A-D may present a logical device over a PCI bus which may include an addressable fast-write logical device, or a distinct part of the logical address space of the storage device 118, which may be presented as PCI memory or as persistent storage. In one embodiment, operations to store into the device are directed into the RAM 121. On power failure, the storage device controller 119A-D may write stored content associated with the addressable fast-write logical storage to Flash memory (e.g., Flash memory 120 a-n) for long-term persistent storage.

In one embodiment, the logical device may include some presentation of some or all of the content of the Flash memory devices 120 a-n, where that presentation allows a storage system including a storage device 118 (e.g., storage system 117) to directly address Flash memory pages and directly reprogram erase blocks from storage system components that are external to the storage device through the PCI bus. The presentation may also allow one or more of the external components to control and retrieve other aspects of the Flash memory including some or all of: tracking statistics related to use and reuse of Flash memory pages, erase blocks, and cells across all the Flash memory devices; tracking and predicting error codes and faults within and across the Flash memory devices; controlling voltage levels associated with programming and retrieving contents of Flash cells; etc.

In one embodiment, the stored energy device 122 may be sufficient to ensure completion of in-progress operations to the Flash memory devices 120 a-120 n stored energy device 122 may power storage device controller 119A-D and associated Flash memory devices (e.g., 120 a-n) for those operations, as well as for the storing of fast-write RAM to Flash memory. Stored energy device 122 may be used to store accumulated statistics and other parameters kept and tracked by the Flash memory devices 120 a-n and/or the storage device controller 119. Separate capacitors or stored energy devices (such as smaller capacitors near or embedded within the Flash memory devices themselves) may be used for some or all of the operations described herein.

Various schemes may be used to track and optimize the life span of the stored energy component, such as adjusting voltage levels over time, partially discharging the storage energy device 122 to measure corresponding discharge characteristics, etc. If the available energy decreases over time, the effective available capacity of the addressable fast-write storage may be decreased to ensure that it can be written safely based on the currently available stored energy.

FIG. 1D illustrates a third example system 124 for data storage in accordance with some implementations. In one embodiment, system 124 includes storage controllers 125 a, 125 b. In one embodiment, storage controllers 125 a, 125 b are operatively coupled to Dual PCI storage devices 119 a, 119 b and 119 c, 119 d, respectively. Storage controllers 125 a, 125 b may be operatively coupled (e.g., via a storage network 130) to some number of host computers 127 a-n.

In one embodiment, two storage controllers (e.g., 125 a and 125 b) provide storage services, such as a SCS) block storage array, a file server, an object server, a database or data analytics service, etc. The storage controllers 125 a, 125 b may provide services through some number of network interfaces (e.g., 126 a-d) to host computers 127 a-n outside of the storage system 124. Storage controllers 125 a, 125 b may provide integrated services or an application entirely within the storage system 124, forming a converged storage and compute system. The storage controllers 125 a, 125 b may utilize the fast write memory within or across storage devices 119 a-d to journal in progress operations to ensure the operations are not lost on a power failure, storage controller removal, storage controller or storage system shutdown, or some fault of one or more software or hardware components within the storage system 124.

In one embodiment, controllers 125 a, 125 b operate as PCI masters to one or the other PCI buses 128 a, 128 b. In another embodiment, 128 a and 128 b may be based on other communications standards (e.g., HyperTransport, InfiniBand, etc.). Other storage system embodiments may operate storage controllers 125 a, 125 b as multi-masters for both PCI buses 128 a, 128 b. Alternately, a PCI/NVMe/NVMf switching infrastructure or fabric may connect multiple storage controllers. Some storage system embodiments may allow storage devices to communicate with each other directly rather than communicating only with storage controllers. In one embodiment, a storage device controller 119 a may be operable under direction from a storage controller 125 a to synthesize and transfer data to be stored into Flash memory devices from data that has been stored in RAM (e.g., RAM 121 of FIG. 1C). For example, a recalculated version of RAM content may be transferred after a storage controller has determined that an operation has fully committed across the storage system, or when fast-write memory on the device has reached a certain used capacity, or after a certain amount of time, to ensure improve safety of the data or to release addressable fast-write capacity for reuse. This mechanism may be used, for example, to avoid a second transfer over a bus (e.g., 128 a, 128 b) from the storage controllers 125 a, 125 b. In one embodiment, a recalculation may include compressing data, attaching indexing or other metadata, combining multiple data segments together, performing erasure code calculations, etc.

In one embodiment, under direction from a storage controller 125 a, 125 b, a storage device controller 119 a, 119 b may be operable to calculate and transfer data to other storage devices from data stored in RAM (e.g., RAM 121 of FIG. 1C) without involvement of the storage controllers 125 a, 125 b. This operation may be used to mirror data stored in one controller 125 a to another controller 125 b, or it could be used to offload compression, data aggregation, and/or erasure coding calculations and transfers to storage devices to reduce load on storage controllers or the storage controller interface 129 a, 129 b to the PCI bus 128 a, 128 b.

A storage device controller 119A-D may include mechanisms for implementing high availability primitives for use by other parts of a storage system external to the Dual PCI storage device 118. For example, reservation or exclusion primitives may be provided so that, in a storage system with two storage controllers providing a highly available storage service, one storage controller may prevent the other storage controller from accessing or continuing to access the storage device. This could be used, for example, in cases where one controller detects that the other controller is not functioning properly or where the interconnect between the two storage controllers may itself not be functioning properly.

In one embodiment, a storage system for use with Dual PCI direct mapped storage devices with separately addressable fast write storage includes systems that manage erase blocks or groups of erase blocks as allocation units for storing data on behalf of the storage service, or for storing metadata (e.g., indexes, logs, etc.) associated with the storage service, or for proper management of the storage system itself. Flash pages, which may be a few kilobytes in size, may be written as data arrives or as the storage system is to persist data for long intervals of time (e.g., above a defined threshold of time). To commit data more quickly, or to reduce the number of writes to the Flash memory devices, the storage controllers may first write data into the separately addressable fast write storage on one more storage devices.

In one embodiment, the storage controllers 125 a, 125 b may initiate the use of erase blocks within and across storage devices (e.g., 118) in accordance with an age and expected remaining lifespan of the storage devices, or based on other statistics. The storage controllers 125 a, 125 b may initiate garbage collection and data migration data between storage devices in accordance with pages that are no longer needed as well as to manage Flash page and erase block lifespans and to manage overall system performance.

In one embodiment, the storage system 124 may utilize mirroring and/or erasure coding schemes as part of storing data into addressable fast write storage and/or as part of writing data into allocation units associated with erase blocks. Erasure codes may be used across storage devices, as well as within erase blocks or allocation units, or within and across Flash memory devices on a single storage device, to provide redundancy against single or multiple storage device failures or to protect against internal corruptions of Flash memory pages resulting from Flash memory operations or from degradation of Flash memory cells. Mirroring and erasure coding at various levels may be used to recover from multiple types of failures that occur separately or in combination.

The embodiments depicted with reference to FIGS. 2A-G illustrate a storage cluster that stores user data, such as user data originating from one or more user or client systems or other sources external to the storage cluster. The storage cluster distributes user data across storage nodes housed within a chassis, or across multiple chassis, using erasure coding and redundant copies of metadata. Erasure coding refers to a method of data protection or reconstruction in which data is stored across a set of different locations, such as disks, storage nodes or geographic locations. Flash memory is one type of solid-state memory that may be integrated with the embodiments, although the embodiments may be extended to other types of solid-state memory or other storage medium, including non-solid state memory. Control of storage locations and workloads are distributed across the storage locations in a clustered peer-to-peer system. Tasks such as mediating communications between the various storage nodes, detecting when a storage node has become unavailable, and balancing I/Os (inputs and outputs) across the various storage nodes, are all handled on a distributed basis. Data is laid out or distributed across multiple storage nodes in data fragments or stripes that support data recovery in some embodiments. Ownership of data can be reassigned within a cluster, independent of input and output patterns. This architecture described in more detail below allows a storage node in the cluster to fail, with the system remaining operational, since the data can be reconstructed from other storage nodes and thus remain available for input and output operations. In various embodiments, a storage node may be referred to as a cluster node, a blade, or a server.

The storage cluster may be contained within a chassis, i.e., an enclosure housing one or more storage nodes. A mechanism to provide power to each storage node, such as a power distribution bus, and a communication mechanism, such as a communication bus that enables communication between the storage nodes are included within the chassis. The storage cluster can run as an independent system in one location according to some embodiments. In one embodiment, a chassis contains at least two instances of both the power distribution and the communication bus which may be enabled or disabled independently. The internal communication bus may be an Ethernet bus, however, other technologies such as PCIe, InfiniBand, and others, are equally suitable. The chassis provides a port for an external communication bus for enabling communication between multiple chassis, directly or through a switch, and with client systems. The external communication may use a technology such as Ethernet, InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, etc. In some embodiments, the external communication bus uses different communication bus technologies for inter-chassis and client communication. If a switch is deployed within or between chassis, the switch may act as a translation between multiple protocols or technologies. When multiple chassis are connected to define a storage cluster, the storage cluster may be accessed by a client using either proprietary interfaces or standard interfaces such as network file system (‘NFS’), common internet file system (‘CIFS’), small computer system interface (‘SCSI’) or hypertext transfer protocol (‘HTTP’). Translation from the client protocol may occur at the switch, chassis external communication bus or within each storage node. In some embodiments, multiple chassis may be coupled or connected to each other through an aggregator switch. A portion and/or all of the coupled or connected chassis may be designated as a storage cluster. As discussed above, each chassis can have multiple blades, each blade has a media access control (‘MAC’) address, but the storage cluster is presented to an external network as having a single cluster IP address and a single MAC address in some embodiments.

Each storage node may be one or more storage servers and each storage server is connected to one or more non-volatile solid state memory units, which may be referred to as storage units or storage devices. One embodiment includes a single storage server in each storage node and between one to eight non-volatile solid state memory units, however this one example is not meant to be limiting. The storage server may include a processor, DRAM and interfaces for the internal communication bus and power distribution for each of the power buses. Inside the storage node, the interfaces and storage unit share a communication bus, e.g., PCI Express, in some embodiments. The non-volatile solid state memory units may directly access the internal communication bus interface through a storage node communication bus, or request the storage node to access the bus interface. The non-volatile solid state memory unit contains an embedded CPU, solid state storage controller, and a quantity of solid state mass storage, e.g., between 2-32 terabytes (‘TB’) in some embodiments. An embedded volatile storage medium, such as DRAM, and an energy reserve apparatus are included in the non-volatile solid state memory unit. In some embodiments, the energy reserve apparatus is a capacitor, super-capacitor, or battery that enables transferring a subset of DRAM contents to a stable storage medium in the case of power loss. In some embodiments, the non-volatile solid state memory unit is constructed with a storage class memory, such as phase change or magnetoresistive random access memory (‘MRAM’) that substitutes for DRAM and enables a reduced power hold-up apparatus.

One of many features of the storage nodes and non-volatile solid state storage is the ability to proactively rebuild data in a storage cluster. The storage nodes and non-volatile solid state storage can determine when a storage node or non-volatile solid state storage in the storage cluster is unreachable, independent of whether there is an attempt to read data involving that storage node or non-volatile solid state storage. The storage nodes and non-volatile solid state storage then cooperate to recover and rebuild the data in at least partially new locations. This constitutes a proactive rebuild, in that the system rebuilds data without waiting until the data is needed for a read access initiated from a client system employing the storage cluster. These and further details of the storage memory and operation thereof are discussed below.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a storage cluster 161, with multiple storage nodes 150 and internal solid-state memory coupled to each storage node to provide network attached storage or storage area network, in accordance with some embodiments. A network attached storage, storage area network, or a storage cluster, or other storage memory, could include one or more storage clusters 161, each having one or more storage nodes 150, in a flexible and reconfigurable arrangement of both the physical components and the amount of storage memory provided thereby. The storage cluster 161 is designed to fit in a rack, and one or more racks can be set up and populated as desired for the storage memory. The storage cluster 161 has a chassis 138 having multiple slots 142. It should be appreciated that chassis 138 may be referred to as a housing, enclosure, or rack unit. In one embodiment, the chassis 138 has fourteen slots 142, although other numbers of slots are readily devised. For example, some embodiments have four slots, eight slots, sixteen slots, thirty-two slots, or other suitable number of slots. Each slot 142 can accommodate one storage node 150 in some embodiments. Chassis 138 includes flaps 148 that can be utilized to mount the chassis 138 on a rack. Fans 144 provide air circulation for cooling of the storage nodes 150 and components thereof, although other cooling components could be used, or an embodiment could be devised without cooling components. A switch fabric 146 couples storage nodes 150 within chassis 138 together and to a network for communication to the memory. In an embodiment depicted in herein, the slots 142 to the left of the switch fabric 146 and fans 144 are shown occupied by storage nodes 150, while the slots 142 to the right of the switch fabric 146 and fans 144 are empty and available for insertion of storage node 150 for illustrative purposes. This configuration is one example, and one or more storage nodes 150 could occupy the slots 142 in various further arrangements. The storage node arrangements need not be sequential or adjacent in some embodiments. Storage nodes 150 are hot pluggable, meaning that a storage node 150 can be inserted into a slot 142 in the chassis 138, or removed from a slot 142, without stopping or powering down the system. Upon insertion or removal of storage node 150 from slot 142, the system automatically reconfigures in order to recognize and adapt to the change. Reconfiguration, in some embodiments, includes restoring redundancy and/or rebalancing data or load.

Each storage node 150 can have multiple components. In the embodiment shown here, the storage node 150 includes a printed circuit board 159 populated by a CPU 156, i.e., processor, a memory 154 coupled to the CPU 156, and a non-volatile solid state storage 152 coupled to the CPU 156, although other mountings and/or components could be used in further embodiments. The memory 154 has instructions which are executed by the CPU 156 and/or data operated on by the CPU 156. As further explained below, the non-volatile solid state storage 152 includes flash or, in further embodiments, other types of solid-state memory.

Referring to FIG. 2A, storage cluster 161 is scalable, meaning that storage capacity with non-uniform storage sizes is readily added, as described above. One or more storage nodes 150 can be plugged into or removed from each chassis and the storage cluster self-configures in some embodiments. Plug-in storage nodes 150, whether installed in a chassis as delivered or later added, can have different sizes. For example, in one embodiment a storage node 150 can have any multiple of 4 TB, e.g., 8 TB, 12 TB, 16 TB, 32 TB, etc. In further embodiments, a storage node 150 could have any multiple of other storage amounts or capacities. Storage capacity of each storage node 150 is broadcast, and influences decisions of how to stripe the data. For maximum storage efficiency, an embodiment can self-configure as wide as possible in the stripe, subject to a predetermined requirement of continued operation with loss of up to one, or up to two, non-volatile solid state storage units 152 or storage nodes 150 within the chassis.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing a communications interconnect 173 and power distribution bus 172 coupling multiple storage nodes 150. Referring back to FIG. 2A, the communications interconnect 173 can be included in or implemented with the switch fabric 146 in some embodiments. Where multiple storage clusters 161 occupy a rack, the communications interconnect 173 can be included in or implemented with a top of rack switch, in some embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, storage cluster 161 is enclosed within a single chassis 138. External port 176 is coupled to storage nodes 150 through communications interconnect 173, while external port 174 is coupled directly to a storage node. External power port 178 is coupled to power distribution bus 172. Storage nodes 150 may include varying amounts and differing capacities of non-volatile solid state storage 152 as described with reference to FIG. 2A. In addition, one or more storage nodes 150 may be a compute only storage node as illustrated in FIG. 2B. Authorities 168 are implemented on the non-volatile solid state storages 152, for example as lists or other data structures stored in memory. In some embodiments the authorities are stored within the non-volatile solid state storage 152 and supported by software executing on a controller or other processor of the non-volatile solid state storage 152. In a further embodiment, authorities 168 are implemented on the storage nodes 150, for example as lists or other data structures stored in the memory 154 and supported by software executing on the CPU 156 of the storage node 150. Authorities 168 control how and where data is stored in the non-volatile solid state storages 152 in some embodiments. This control assists in determining which type of erasure coding scheme is applied to the data, and which storage nodes 150 have which portions of the data. Each authority 168 may be assigned to a non-volatile solid state storage 152. Each authority may control a range of inode numbers, segment numbers, or other data identifiers which are assigned to data by a file system, by the storage nodes 150, or by the non-volatile solid state storage 152, in various embodiments.

Every piece of data, and every piece of metadata, has redundancy in the system in some embodiments. In addition, every piece of data and every piece of metadata has an owner, which may be referred to as an authority. If that authority is unreachable, for example through failure of a storage node, there is a plan of succession for how to find that data or that metadata. In various embodiments, there are redundant copies of authorities 168. Authorities 168 have a relationship to storage nodes 150 and non-volatile solid state storage 152 in some embodiments. Each authority 168, covering a range of data segment numbers or other identifiers of the data, may be assigned to a specific non-volatile solid state storage 152. In some embodiments the authorities 168 for all of such ranges are distributed over the non-volatile solid state storages 152 of a storage cluster. Each storage node 150 has a network port that provides access to the non-volatile solid state storage(s) 152 of that storage node 150. Data can be stored in a segment, which is associated with a segment number and that segment number is an indirection for a configuration of a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) stripe in some embodiments. The assignment and use of the authorities 168 thus establishes an indirection to data. Indirection may be referred to as the ability to reference data indirectly, in this case via an authority 168, in accordance with some embodiments. A segment identifies a set of non-volatile solid state storage 152 and a local identifier into the set of non-volatile solid state storage 152 that may contain data. In some embodiments, the local identifier is an offset into the device and may be reused sequentially by multiple segments. In other embodiments the local identifier is unique for a specific segment and never reused. The offsets in the non-volatile solid state storage 152 are applied to locating data for writing to or reading from the non-volatile solid state storage 152 (in the form of a RAID stripe). Data is striped across multiple units of non-volatile solid state storage 152, which may include or be different from the non-volatile solid state storage 152 having the authority 168 for a particular data segment.

If there is a change in where a particular segment of data is located, e.g., during a data move or a data reconstruction, the authority 168 for that data segment should be consulted, at that non-volatile solid state storage 152 or storage node 150 having that authority 168. In order to locate a particular piece of data, embodiments calculate a hash value for a data segment or apply an inode number or a data segment number. The output of this operation points to a non-volatile solid state storage 152 having the authority 168 for that particular piece of data. In some embodiments there are two stages to this operation. The first stage maps an entity identifier (ID), e.g., a segment number, inode number, or directory number to an authority identifier. This mapping may include a calculation such as a hash or a bit mask. The second stage is mapping the authority identifier to a particular non-volatile solid state storage 152, which may be done through an explicit mapping. The operation is repeatable, so that when the calculation is performed, the result of the calculation repeatably and reliably points to a particular non-volatile solid state storage 152 having that authority 168. The operation may include the set of reachable storage nodes as input. If the set of reachable non-volatile solid state storage units changes the optimal set changes. In some embodiments, the persisted value is the current assignment (which is always true) and the calculated value is the target assignment the cluster will attempt to reconfigure towards. This calculation may be used to determine the optimal non-volatile solid state storage 152 for an authority in the presence of a set of non-volatile solid state storage 152 that are reachable and constitute the same cluster. The calculation also determines an ordered set of peer non-volatile solid state storage 152 that will also record the authority to non-volatile solid state storage mapping so that the authority may be determined even if the assigned non-volatile solid state storage is unreachable. A duplicate or substitute authority 168 may be consulted if a specific authority 168 is unavailable in some embodiments.

With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, two of the many tasks of the CPU 156 on a storage node 150 are to break up write data, and reassemble read data. When the system has determined that data is to be written, the authority 168 for that data is located as above. When the segment ID for data is already determined the request to write is forwarded to the non-volatile solid state storage 152 currently determined to be the host of the authority 168 determined from the segment. The host CPU 156 of the storage node 150, on which the non-volatile solid state storage 152 and corresponding authority 168 reside, then breaks up or shards the data and transmits the data out to various non-volatile solid state storage 152. The transmitted data is written as a data stripe in accordance with an erasure coding scheme. In some embodiments, data is requested to be pulled, and in other embodiments, data is pushed. In reverse, when data is read, the authority 168 for the segment ID containing the data is located as described above. The host CPU 156 of the storage node 150 on which the non-volatile solid state storage 152 and corresponding authority 168 reside requests the data from the non-volatile solid state storage and corresponding storage nodes pointed to by the authority. In some embodiments the data is read from flash storage as a data stripe. The host CPU 156 of storage node 150 then reassembles the read data, correcting any errors (if present) according to the appropriate erasure coding scheme, and forwards the reassembled data to the network. In further embodiments, some or all of these tasks can be handled in the non-volatile solid state storage 152. In some embodiments, the segment host requests the data be sent to storage node 150 by requesting pages from storage and then sending the data to the storage node making the original request.

In some systems, for example in UNIX-style file systems, data is handled with an index node or inode, which specifies a data structure that represents an object in a file system. The object could be a file or a directory, for example. Metadata may accompany the object, as attributes such as permission data and a creation timestamp, among other attributes. A segment number could be assigned to all or a portion of such an object in a file system. In other systems, data segments are handled with a segment number assigned elsewhere. For purposes of discussion, the unit of distribution is an entity, and an entity can be a file, a directory or a segment. That is, entities are units of data or metadata stored by a storage system. Entities are grouped into sets called authorities. Each authority has an authority owner, which is a storage node that has the exclusive right to update the entities in the authority. In other words, a storage node contains the authority, and that the authority, in turn, contains entities.

A segment is a logical container of data in accordance with some embodiments. A segment is an address space between medium address space and physical flash locations, i.e., the data segment number, are in this address space. Segments may also contain meta-data, which enable data redundancy to be restored (rewritten to different flash locations or devices) without the involvement of higher level software. In one embodiment, an internal format of a segment contains client data and medium mappings to determine the position of that data. Each data segment is protected, e.g., from memory and other failures, by breaking the segment into a number of data and parity shards, where applicable. The data and parity shards are distributed, i.e., striped, across non-volatile solid state storage 152 coupled to the host CPUs 156 (See FIGS. 2E and 2G) in accordance with an erasure coding scheme. Usage of the term segments refers to the container and its place in the address space of segments in some embodiments. Usage of the term stripe refers to the same set of shards as a segment and includes how the shards are distributed along with redundancy or parity information in accordance with some embodiments.

A series of address-space transformations takes place across an entire storage system. At the top are the directory entries (file names) which link to an inode. Inodes point into medium address space, where data is logically stored. Medium addresses may be mapped through a series of indirect mediums to spread the load of large files, or implement data services like deduplication or snapshots. Medium addresses may be mapped through a series of indirect mediums to spread the load of large files, or implement data services like deduplication or snapshots. Segment addresses are then translated into physical flash locations. Physical flash locations have an address range bounded by the amount of flash in the system in accordance with some embodiments. Medium addresses and segment addresses are logical containers, and in some embodiments use a 128 bit or larger identifier so as to be practically infinite, with a likelihood of reuse calculated as longer than the expected life of the system. Addresses from logical containers are allocated in a hierarchical fashion in some embodiments. Initially, each non-volatile solid state storage unit 152 may be assigned a range of address space. Within this assigned range, the non-volatile solid state storage 152 is able to allocate addresses without synchronization with other non-volatile solid state storage 152.

Data and metadata is stored by a set of underlying storage layouts that are optimized for varying workload patterns and storage devices. These layouts incorporate multiple redundancy schemes, compression formats and index algorithms. Some of these layouts store information about authorities and authority masters, while others store file metadata and file data. The redundancy schemes include error correction codes that tolerate corrupted bits within a single storage device (such as a NAND flash chip), erasure codes that tolerate the failure of multiple storage nodes, and replication schemes that tolerate data center or regional failures. In some embodiments, low density parity check (‘LDPC’) code is used within a single storage unit. Reed-Solomon encoding is used within a storage cluster, and mirroring is used within a storage grid in some embodiments. Metadata may be stored using an ordered log structured index (such as a Log Structured Merge Tree), and large data may not be stored in a log structured layout.

In order to maintain consistency across multiple copies of an entity, the storage nodes agree implicitly on two things through calculations: (1) the authority that contains the entity, and (2) the storage node that contains the authority. The assignment of entities to authorities can be done by pseudo randomly assigning entities to authorities, by splitting entities into ranges based upon an externally produced key, or by placing a single entity into each authority. Examples of pseudorandom schemes are linear hashing and the Replication Under Scalable Hashing (‘RUSH’) family of hashes, including Controlled Replication Under Scalable Hashing (‘CRUSH’). In some embodiments, pseudo-random assignment is utilized only for assigning authorities to nodes because the set of nodes can change. The set of authorities cannot change so any subjective function may be applied in these embodiments. Some placement schemes automatically place authorities on storage nodes, while other placement schemes rely on an explicit mapping of authorities to storage nodes. In some embodiments, a pseudorandom scheme is utilized to map from each authority to a set of candidate authority owners. A pseudorandom data distribution function related to CRUSH may assign authorities to storage nodes and create a list of where the authorities are assigned. Each storage node has a copy of the pseudorandom data distribution function, and can arrive at the same calculation for distributing, and later finding or locating an authority. Each of the pseudorandom schemes requires the reachable set of storage nodes as input in some embodiments in order to conclude the same target nodes. Once an entity has been placed in an authority, the entity may be stored on physical devices so that no expected failure will lead to unexpected data loss. In some embodiments, rebalancing algorithms attempt to store the copies of all entities within an authority in the same layout and on the same set of machines.

Examples of expected failures include device failures, stolen machines, datacenter fires, and regional disasters, such as nuclear or geological events. Different failures lead to different levels of acceptable data loss. In some embodiments, a stolen storage node impacts neither the security nor the reliability of the system, while depending on system configuration, a regional event could lead to no loss of data, a few seconds or minutes of lost updates, or even complete data loss.

In the embodiments, the placement of data for storage redundancy is independent of the placement of authorities for data consistency. In some embodiments, storage nodes that contain authorities do not contain any persistent storage. Instead, the storage nodes are connected to non-volatile solid state storage units that do not contain authorities. The communications interconnect between storage nodes and non-volatile solid state storage units consists of multiple communication technologies and has non-uniform performance and fault tolerance characteristics. In some embodiments, as mentioned above, non-volatile solid state storage units are connected to storage nodes via PCI express, storage nodes are connected together within a single chassis using Ethernet backplane, and chassis are connected together to form a storage cluster. Storage clusters are connected to clients using Ethernet or fiber channel in some embodiments. If multiple storage clusters are configured into a storage grid, the multiple storage clusters are connected using the Internet or other long-distance networking links, such as a “metro scale” link or private link that does not traverse the internet.

Authority owners have the exclusive right to modify entities, to migrate entities from one non-volatile solid state storage unit to another non-volatile solid state storage unit, and to add and remove copies of entities. This allows for maintaining the redundancy of the underlying data. When an authority owner fails, is going to be decommissioned, or is overloaded, the authority is transferred to a new storage node. Transient failures make it non-trivial to ensure that all non-faulty machines agree upon the new authority location. The ambiguity that arises due to transient failures can be achieved automatically by a consensus protocol such as Paxos, hot-warm failover schemes, via manual intervention by a remote system administrator, or by a local hardware administrator (such as by physically removing the failed machine from the cluster, or pressing a button on the failed machine). In some embodiments, a consensus protocol is used, and failover is automatic. If too many failures or replication events occur in too short a time period, the system goes into a self-preservation mode and halts replication and data movement activities until an administrator intervenes in accordance with some embodiments.

As authorities are transferred between storage nodes and authority owners update entities in their authorities, the system transfers messages between the storage nodes and non-volatile solid state storage units. With regard to persistent messages, messages that have different purposes are of different types. Depending on the type of the message, the system maintains different ordering and durability guarantees. As the persistent messages are being processed, the messages are temporarily stored in multiple durable and non-durable storage hardware technologies. In some embodiments, messages are stored in RAM, NVRAM and on NAND flash devices, and a variety of protocols are used in order to make efficient use of each storage medium. Latency-sensitive client requests may be persisted in replicated NVRAM, and then later NAND, while background rebalancing operations are persisted directly to NAND.

Persistent messages are persistently stored prior to being transmitted. This allows the system to continue to serve client requests despite failures and component replacement. Although many hardware components contain unique identifiers that are visible to system administrators, manufacturer, hardware supply chain and ongoing monitoring quality control infrastructure, applications running on top of the infrastructure address virtualize addresses. These virtualized addresses do not change over the lifetime of the storage system, regardless of component failures and replacements. This allows each component of the storage system to be replaced over time without reconfiguration or disruptions of client request processing, i.e., the system supports non-disruptive upgrades.

In some embodiments, the virtualized addresses are stored with sufficient redundancy. A continuous monitoring system correlates hardware and software status and the hardware identifiers. This allows detection and prediction of failures due to faulty components and manufacturing details. The monitoring system also enables the proactive transfer of authorities and entities away from impacted devices before failure occurs by removing the component from the critical path in some embodiments.

FIG. 2C is a multiple level block diagram, showing contents of a storage node 150 and contents of a non-volatile solid state storage 152 of the storage node 150. Data is communicated to and from the storage node 150 by a network interface controller (‘NIC’) 202 in some embodiments. Each storage node 150 has a CPU 156, and one or more non-volatile solid state storage 152, as discussed above. Moving down one level in FIG. 2C, each non-volatile solid state storage 152 has a relatively fast non-volatile solid state memory, such as nonvolatile random access memory (‘NVRAM’) 204, and flash memory 206. In some embodiments, NVRAM 204 may be a component that does not require program/erase cycles (DRAM, MRAM, PCM), and can be a memory that can support being written vastly more often than the memory is read from. Moving down another level in FIG. 2C, the NVRAM 204 is implemented in one embodiment as high speed volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 216, backed up by energy reserve 218. Energy reserve 218 provides sufficient electrical power to keep the DRAM 216 powered long enough for contents to be transferred to the flash memory 206 in the event of power failure. In some embodiments, energy reserve 218 is a capacitor, super-capacitor, battery, or other device, that supplies a suitable supply of energy sufficient to enable the transfer of the contents of DRAM 216 to a stable storage medium in the case of power loss. The flash memory 206 is implemented as multiple flash dies 222, which may be referred to as packages of flash dies 222 or an array of flash dies 222. It should be appreciated that the flash dies 222 could be packaged in any number of ways, with a single die per package, multiple dies per package (i.e. multichip packages), in hybrid packages, as bare dies on a printed circuit board or other substrate, as encapsulated dies, etc. In the embodiment shown, the non-volatile solid state storage 152 has a controller 212 or other processor, and an input output (I/O) port 210 coupled to the controller 212. I/O port 210 is coupled to the CPU 156 and/or the network interface controller 202 of the flash storage node 150. Flash input output (I/O) port 220 is coupled to the flash dies 222, and a direct memory access unit (DMA) 214 is coupled to the controller 212, the DRAM 216 and the flash dies 222. In the embodiment shown, the I/O port 210, controller 212, DMA unit 214 and flash I/O port 220 are implemented on a programmable logic device (‘PLD’) 208, e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA). In this embodiment, each flash die 222 has pages, organized as sixteen kB (kilobyte) pages 224, and a register 226 through which data can be written to or read from the flash die 222. In further embodiments, other types of solid-state memory are used in place of, or in addition to flash memory illustrated within flash die 222.

Storage clusters 161, in various embodiments as disclosed herein, can be contrasted with storage arrays in general. The storage nodes 150 are part of a collection that creates the storage cluster 161. Each storage node 150 owns a slice of data and computing required to provide the data. Multiple storage nodes 150 cooperate to store and retrieve the data. Storage memory or storage devices, as used in storage arrays in general, are less involved with processing and manipulating the data. Storage memory or storage devices in a storage array receive commands to read, write, or erase data. The storage memory or storage devices in a storage array are not aware of a larger system in which they are embedded, or what the data means. Storage memory or storage devices in storage arrays can include various types of storage memory, such as RAM, solid state drives, hard disk drives, etc. The storage units 152 described herein have multiple interfaces active simultaneously and serving multiple purposes. In some embodiments, some of the functionality of a storage node 150 is shifted into a storage unit 152, transforming the storage unit 152 into a combination of storage unit 152 and storage node 150. Placing computing (relative to storage data) into the storage unit 152 places this computing closer to the data itself. The various system embodiments have a hierarchy of storage node layers with different capabilities. By contrast, in a storage array, a controller owns and knows everything about all of the data that the controller manages in a shelf or storage devices. In a storage cluster 161, as described herein, multiple controllers in multiple storage units 152 and/or storage nodes 150 cooperate in various ways (e.g., for erasure coding, data sharding, metadata communication and redundancy, storage capacity expansion or contraction, data recovery, and so on).

FIG. 2D shows a storage server environment, which uses embodiments of the storage nodes 150 and storage units 152 of FIGS. 2A-C. In this version, each storage unit 152 has a processor such as controller 212 (see FIG. 2C), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), flash memory 206, and NVRAM 204 (which is super-capacitor backed DRAM 216, see FIGS. 2B and 2C) on a PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) board in a chassis 138 (see FIG. 2A). The storage unit 152 may be implemented as a single board containing storage, and may be the largest tolerable failure domain inside the chassis. In some embodiments, up to two storage units 152 may fail and the device will continue with no data loss.

The physical storage is divided into named regions based on application usage in some embodiments. The NVRAM 204 is a contiguous block of reserved memory in the storage unit 152 DRAM 216, and is backed by NAND flash. NVRAM 204 is logically divided into multiple memory regions written for two as spool (e.g., spool_region). Space within the NVRAM 204 spools is managed by each authority 168 independently. Each device provides an amount of storage space to each authority 168. That authority 168 further manages lifetimes and allocations within that space. Examples of a spool include distributed transactions or notions. When the primary power to a storage unit 152 fails, onboard super-capacitors provide a short duration of power hold up. During this holdup interval, the contents of the NVRAM 204 are flushed to flash memory 206. On the next power-on, the contents of the NVRAM 204 are recovered from the flash memory 206.

As for the storage unit controller, the responsibility of the logical “controller” is distributed across each of the blades containing authorities 168. This distribution of logical control is shown in FIG. 2D as a host controller 242, mid-tier controller 244 and storage unit controller(s) 246. Management of the control plane and the storage plane are treated independently, although parts may be physically co-located on the same blade. Each authority 168 effectively serves as an independent controller. Each authority 168 provides its own data and metadata structures, its own background workers, and maintains its own lifecycle.

FIG. 2E is a blade 252 hardware block diagram, showing a control plane 254, compute and storage planes 256, 258, and authorities 168 interacting with underlying physical resources, using embodiments of the storage nodes 150 and storage units 152 of FIGS. 2A-C in the storage server environment of FIG. 2D. The control plane 254 is partitioned into a number of authorities 168 which can use the compute resources in the compute plane 256 to run on any of the blades 252. The storage plane 258 is partitioned into a set of devices, each of which provides access to flash 206 and NVRAM 204 resources. In one embodiment, the compute plane 256 may perform the operations of a storage array controller, as described herein, on one or more devices of the storage plane 258 (e.g., a storage array).

In the compute and storage planes 256, 258 of FIG. 2E, the authorities 168 interact with the underlying physical resources (i.e., devices). From the point of view of an authority 168, its resources are striped over all of the physical devices. From the point of view of a device, it provides resources to all authorities 168, irrespective of where the authorities happen to run. Each authority 168 has allocated or has been allocated one or more partitions 260 of storage memory in the storage units 152, e.g. partitions 260 in flash memory 206 and NVRAM 204. Each authority 168 uses those allocated partitions 260 that belong to it, for writing or reading user data. Authorities can be associated with differing amounts of physical storage of the system. For example, one authority 168 could have a larger number of partitions 260 or larger sized partitions 260 in one or more storage units 152 than one or more other authorities 168.

FIG. 2F depicts elasticity software layers in blades 252 of a storage cluster, in accordance with some embodiments. In the elasticity structure, elasticity software is symmetric, i.e., each blade's compute module 270 runs the three identical layers of processes depicted in FIG. 2F. Storage managers 274 execute read and write requests from other blades 252 for data and metadata stored in local storage unit 152 NVRAM 204 and flash 206. Authorities 168 fulfill client requests by issuing the necessary reads and writes to the blades 252 on whose storage units 152 the corresponding data or metadata resides. Endpoints 272 parse client connection requests received from switch fabric 146 supervisory software, relay the client connection requests to the authorities 168 responsible for fulfillment, and relay the authorities' 168 responses to clients. The symmetric three-layer structure enables the storage system's high degree of concurrency. Elasticity scales out efficiently and reliably in these embodiments. In addition, elasticity implements a unique scale-out technique that balances work evenly across all resources regardless of client access pattern, and maximizes concurrency by eliminating much of the need for inter-blade coordination that typically occurs with conventional distributed locking.

Still referring to FIG. 2F, authorities 168 running in the compute modules 270 of a blade 252 perform the internal operations required to fulfill client requests. One feature of elasticity is that authorities 168 are stateless, i.e., they cache active data and metadata in their own blades' 252 DRAMs for fast access, but the authorities store every update in their NVRAM 204 partitions on three separate blades 252 until the update has been written to flash 206. All the storage system writes to NVRAM 204 are in triplicate to partitions on three separate blades 252 in some embodiments. With triple-mirrored NVRAM 204 and persistent storage protected by parity and Reed-Solomon RAID checksums, the storage system can survive concurrent failure of two blades 252 with no loss of data, metadata, or access to either.

Because authorities 168 are stateless, they can migrate between blades 252. Each authority 168 has a unique identifier. NVRAM 204 and flash 206 partitions are associated with authorities' 168 identifiers, not with the blades 252 on which they are running in some. Thus, when an authority 168 migrates, the authority 168 continues to manage the same storage partitions from its new location. When a new blade 252 is installed in an embodiment of the storage cluster, the system automatically rebalances load by: partitioning the new blade's 252 storage for use by the system's authorities 168, migrating selected authorities 168 to the new blade 252, starting endpoints 272 on the new blade 252 and including them in the switch fabric's 146 client connection distribution algorithm.

From their new locations, migrated authorities 168 persist the contents of their NVRAM 204 partitions on flash 206, process read and write requests from other authorities 168, and fulfill the client requests that endpoints 272 direct to them. Similarly, if a blade 252 fails or is removed, the system redistributes its authorities 168 among the system's remaining blades 252. The redistributed authorities 168 continue to perform their original functions from their new locations.

FIG. 2G depicts authorities 168 and storage resources in blades 252 of a storage cluster, in accordance with some embodiments. Each authority 168 is exclusively responsible for a partition of the flash 206 and NVRAM 204 on each blade 252. The authority 168 manages the content and integrity of its partitions independently of other authorities 168. Authorities 168 compress incoming data and preserve it temporarily in their NVRAM 204 partitions, and then consolidate, RAID-protect, and persist the data in segments of the storage in their flash 206 partitions. As the authorities 168 write data to flash 206, storage managers 274 perform the necessary flash translation to optimize write performance and maximize media longevity. In the background, authorities 168 “garbage collect,” or reclaim space occupied by data that clients have made obsolete by overwriting the data. It should be appreciated that since authorities' 168 partitions are disjoint, there is no need for distributed locking to execute client and writes or to perform background functions.

The embodiments described herein may utilize various software, communication and/or networking protocols. In addition, the configuration of the hardware and/or software may be adjusted to accommodate various protocols. For example, the embodiments may utilize Active Directory, which is a database based system that provides authentication, directory, policy, and other services in a WINDOWS™ environment. In these embodiments, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is one example application protocol for querying and modifying items in directory service providers such as Active Directory. In some embodiments, a network lock manager (‘NLM’) is utilized as a facility that works in cooperation with the Network File System (‘NFS’) to provide a System V style of advisory file and record locking over a network. The Server Message Block (‘SMB’) protocol, one version of which is also known as Common Internet File System (‘CIFS’), may be integrated with the storage systems discussed herein. SMP operates as an application-layer network protocol typically used for providing shared access to files, printers, and serial ports and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network. SMB also provides an authenticated inter-process communication mechanism. AMAZON™ S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a web service offered by Amazon Web Services, and the systems described herein may interface with Amazon S3 through web services interfaces (REST (representational state transfer), SOAP (simple object access protocol), and BitTorrent). A RESTful API (application programming interface) breaks down a transaction to create a series of small modules. Each module addresses a particular underlying part of the transaction. The control or permissions provided with these embodiments, especially for object data, may include utilization of an access control list (‘ACL’). The ACL is a list of permissions attached to an object and the ACL specifies which users or system processes are granted access to objects, as well as what operations are allowed on given objects. The systems may utilize Internet Protocol version 6 (‘IPv6’), as well as IPv4, for the communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. The routing of packets between networked systems may include Equal-cost multi-path routing (‘ECMP’), which is a routing strategy where next-hop packet forwarding to a single destination can occur over multiple “best paths” which tie for top place in routing metric calculations. Multi-path routing can be used in conjunction with most routing protocols, because it is a per-hop decision limited to a single router. The software may support Multi-tenancy, which is an architecture in which a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers. Each customer may be referred to as a tenant. Tenants may be given the ability to customize some parts of the application, but may not customize the application's code, in some embodiments. The embodiments may maintain audit logs. An audit log is a document that records an event in a computing system. In addition to documenting what resources were accessed, audit log entries typically include destination and source addresses, a timestamp, and user login information for compliance with various regulations. The embodiments may support various key management policies, such as encryption key rotation. In addition, the system may support dynamic root passwords or some variation dynamically changing passwords.

FIG. 3A sets forth a diagram of a storage system 306 that is coupled for data communications with a cloud services provider 302 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although depicted in less detail, the storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3A may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D and FIGS. 2A-2G. In some embodiments, the storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3A may be embodied as a storage system that includes imbalanced active/active controllers, as a storage system that includes balanced active/active controllers, as a storage system that includes active/active controllers where less than all of each controller's resources are utilized such that each controller has reserve resources that may be used to support failover, as a storage system that includes fully active/active controllers, as a storage system that includes dataset-segregated controllers, as a storage system that includes dual-layer architectures with front-end controllers and back-end integrated storage controllers, as a storage system that includes scale-out clusters of dual-controller arrays, as well as combinations of such embodiments.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3A, the storage system 306 is coupled to the cloud services provider 302 via a data communications link 304. The data communications link 304 may be embodied as a dedicated data communications link, as a data communications pathway that is provided through the use of one or data communications networks such as a wide area network (‘WAN’) or local area network (‘LAN’), or as some other mechanism capable of transporting digital information between the storage system 306 and the cloud services provider 302. Such a data communications link 304 may be fully wired, fully wireless, or some aggregation of wired and wireless data communications pathways. In such an example, digital information may be exchanged between the storage system 306 and the cloud services provider 302 via the data communications link 304 using one or more data communications protocols. For example, digital information may be exchanged between the storage system 306 and the cloud services provider 302 via the data communications link 304 using the handheld device transfer protocol (‘HDTP’), hypertext transfer protocol (‘HTTP’), internet protocol (‘IP’), real-time transfer protocol (‘RTP’), transmission control protocol (‘TCP’), user datagram protocol (‘UDP’), wireless application protocol (‘WAP’), or other protocol.

The cloud services provider 302 depicted in FIG. 3A may be embodied, for example, as a system and computing environment that provides services to users of the cloud services provider 302 through the sharing of computing resources via the data communications link 304. The cloud services provider 302 may provide on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources such as computer networks, servers, storage, applications and services, and so on. The shared pool of configurable resources may be rapidly provisioned and released to a user of the cloud services provider 302 with minimal management effort. Generally, the user of the cloud services provider 302 is unaware of the exact computing resources utilized by the cloud services provider 302 to provide the services. Although in many cases such a cloud services provider 302 may be accessible via the Internet, readers of skill in the art will recognize that any system that abstracts the use of shared resources to provide services to a user through any data communications link may be considered a cloud services provider 302.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3A, the cloud services provider 302 may be configured to provide a variety of services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of various service models. For example, the cloud services provider 302 may be configured to provide services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of an infrastructure as a service (‘IaaS’) service model where the cloud services provider 302 offers computing infrastructure such as virtual machines and other resources as a service to subscribers. In addition, the cloud services provider 302 may be configured to provide services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of a platform as a service (‘PaaS’) service model where the cloud services provider 302 offers a development environment to application developers. Such a development environment may include, for example, an operating system, programming-language execution environment, database, web server, or other components that may be utilized by application developers to develop and run software solutions on a cloud platform. Furthermore, the cloud services provider 302 may be configured to provide services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of a software as a service (‘SaaS’) service model where the cloud services provider 302 offers application software, databases, as well as the platforms that are used to run the applications to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306, providing the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 with on-demand software and eliminating the need to install and run the application on local computers, which may simplify maintenance and support of the application. The cloud services provider 302 may be further configured to provide services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of an authentication as a service (‘AaaS’) service model where the cloud services provider 302 offers authentication services that can be used to secure access to applications, data sources, or other resources. The cloud services provider 302 may also be configured to provide services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of a storage as a service model where the cloud services provider 302 offers access to its storage infrastructure for use by the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306. Readers will appreciate that the cloud services provider 302 may be configured to provide additional services to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306 through the implementation of additional service models, as the service models described above are included only for explanatory purposes and in no way represent a limitation of the services that may be offered by the cloud services provider 302 or a limitation as to the service models that may be implemented by the cloud services provider 302.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3A, the cloud services provider 302 may be embodied, for example, as a private cloud, as a public cloud, or as a combination of a private cloud and public cloud. In an embodiment in which the cloud services provider 302 is embodied as a private cloud, the cloud services provider 302 may be dedicated to providing services to a single organization rather than providing services to multiple organizations. In an embodiment where the cloud services provider 302 is embodied as a public cloud, the cloud services provider 302 may provide services to multiple organizations. Public cloud and private cloud deployment models may differ and may come with various advantages and disadvantages. For example, because a public cloud deployment involves the sharing of a computing infrastructure across different organization, such a deployment may not be ideal for organizations with security concerns, mission-critical workloads, uptime requirements demands, and so on. While a private cloud deployment can address some of these issues, a private cloud deployment may require on-premises staff to manage the private cloud. In still alternative embodiments, the cloud services provider 302 may be embodied as a mix of a private and public cloud services with a hybrid cloud deployment.

The cloud services provider 302 may also be configured to provide access to virtualized computing environments to the storage system 306 and users of the storage system 306. Such virtualized computing environments may be embodied, for example, as a virtual machine or other virtualized computer hardware platforms, virtual storage devices, virtualized computer network resources, and so on. Examples of such virtualized environments can include virtual machines that are created to emulate an actual computer, virtualized desktop environments that separate a logical desktop from a physical machine, virtualized file systems that allow uniform access to different types of concrete file systems, and many others.

For further explanation, FIG. 3B sets forth a diagram of a storage system 306 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although depicted in less detail, the storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3B may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D and FIGS. 2A-2G as the storage system may include many of the components described above.

The storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3B may include storage resources 308, which may be embodied in many forms. For example, in some embodiments the storage resources 308 can include nano-RAM or another form of nonvolatile random access memory that utilizes carbon nanotubes deposited on a substrate. In some embodiments, the storage resources 308 may include 3D crosspoint non-volatile memory in which bit storage is based on a change of bulk resistance, in conjunction with a stackable cross-gridded data access array. In some embodiments, the storage resources 308 may include flash memory, including single-level cell (‘SLC’) NAND flash, multi-level cell (‘MLC’) NAND flash, triple-level cell (‘TLC’) NAND flash, quad-level cell (‘QLC’) NAND flash, and others. The storage resources 308 depicted in FIG. 3A may include various forms of storage-class memory (‘SCM’).

The storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3B also includes communications resources 310 that may be useful in facilitating data communications between components within the storage system 306, as well as data communications between the storage system 306 and computing devices that are outside of the storage system 306. The communications resources 310 may be configured to utilize a variety of different protocols and data communication fabrics to facilitate data communications between components within the storage systems as well as computing devices that are outside of the storage system. For example, the communications resources 310 can include fibre channel (‘FC’) technologies such as FC fabrics and FC protocols that can transport SCSI commands over FC networks. The communications resources 310 can also include FC over ethernet (‘FCoE’) technologies through which FC frames are encapsulated and transmitted over Ethernet networks. The communications resources 310 can also include InfiniBand (‘IB’) technologies in which a switched fabric topology is utilized to facilitate transmissions between channel adapters. The communications resources 310 can also include NVM Express (‘NVMe’) technologies and NVMe over fabrics (‘NVMeoF’) technologies through which non-volatile storage media attached via a PCI express (‘PCIe’) bus may be accessed. The communications resources 310 can also include mechanisms for accessing storage resources 308 within the storage system 306 utilizing serial attached SCSI (‘SAS’), serial ATA (‘SATA’) bus interfaces for connecting storage resources 308 within the storage system 306 to host bus adapters within the storage system 306, internet small computer systems interface (‘iSCSI’) technologies to provide block-level access to storage resources 308 within the storage system 306, and other communications resources that that may be useful in facilitating data communications between components within the storage system 306, as well as data communications between the storage system 306 and computing devices that are outside of the storage system 306.

The storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3B also includes processing resources 312 that may be useful in useful in executing computer program instructions and performing other computational tasks within the storage system 306. The processing resources 312 may include one or more application-specific integrated circuits (‘ASICs’) that are customized for some particular purpose as well as one or more central processing units (‘CPUs’). The processing resources 312 may also include one or more digital signal processors (‘DSPs’), one or more field-programmable gate arrays (‘FPGAs’), one or more systems on a chip (‘SoCs’), or other form of processing resources 312. The storage system 306 may utilize the storage resources 312 to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, supporting the execution of software resources 314 that will be described in greater detail below.

The storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3B also includes software resources 314 that, when executed by processing resources 312 within the storage system 306, may perform various tasks. The software resources 314 may include, for example, one or more modules of computer program instructions that when executed by processing resources 312 within the storage system 306 are useful in carrying out various data protection techniques to preserve the integrity of data that is stored within the storage systems.

For further explanation, FIG. 3C sets forth an example of a cloud-based storage system 318 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example depicted in FIG. 3C, the cloud-based storage system 318 is created entirely in a cloud computing environment 316 such as, for example, Amazon Web Services (‘AWS’), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and others. The cloud-based storage system 318 may be used to provide services similar to the services that may be provided by the storage systems described above. For example, the cloud-based storage system 318 may be used to provide block storage services to users of the cloud-based storage system 318, the cloud-based storage system 318 may be used to provide storage services to users of the cloud-based storage system 318 through the use of solid-state storage, and so on.

The cloud-based storage system 318 depicted in FIG. 3C includes two cloud computing instances 320, 322 that each are used to support the execution of a storage controller application 324, 326. The cloud computing instances 320, 322 may be embodied, for example, as instances of cloud computing resources (e.g., virtual machines) that may be provided by the cloud computing environment 316 to support the execution of software applications such as the storage controller application 324, 326. In one embodiment, the cloud computing instances 320, 322 may be embodied as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (‘EC2’) instances. In such an example, an Amazon Machine Image (‘AMI’) that includes the storage controller application 324, 326 may be booted to create and configure a virtual machine that may execute the storage controller application 324, 326.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 3C, the storage controller application 324, 326 may be embodied as a module of computer program instructions that, when executed, carries out various storage tasks. For example, the storage controller application 324, 326 may be embodied as a module of computer program instructions that, when executed, carries out the same tasks as the controllers 110A, 110B in FIG. 1A described above such as writing data received from the users of the cloud-based storage system 318 to the cloud-based storage system 318, erasing data from the cloud-based storage system 318, retrieving data from the cloud-based storage system 318 and providing such data to users of the cloud-based storage system 318, monitoring and reporting of disk utilization and performance, performing redundancy operations, such as RAID or RAID-like data redundancy operations, compressing data, encrypting data, deduplicating data, and so forth. Readers will appreciate that because there are two cloud computing instances 320, 322 that each include the storage controller application 324, 326, in some embodiments one cloud computing instance 320 may operate as the primary controller as described above while the other cloud computing instance 322 may operate as the secondary controller as described above. In such an example, in order to save costs, the cloud computing instance 320 that operates as the primary controller may be deployed on a relatively high-performance and relatively expensive cloud computing instance while the cloud computing instance 322 that operates as the secondary controller may be deployed on a relatively low-performance and relatively inexpensive cloud computing instance. Readers will appreciate that the storage controller application 324, 326 depicted in FIG. 3C may include identical source code that is executed within different cloud computing instances 320, 322.

Consider an example in which the cloud computing environment 316 is embodied as AWS and the cloud computing instances are embodied as EC2 instances. In such an example, AWS offers many types of EC2 instances. For example, AWS offers a suite of general purpose EC2 instances that include varying levels of memory and processing power. In such an example, the cloud computing instance 320 that operates as the primary controller may be deployed on one of the instance types that has a relatively large amount of memory and processing power while the cloud computing instance 322 that operates as the secondary controller may be deployed on one of the instance types that has a relatively small amount of memory and processing power. In such an example, upon the occurrence of a failover event where the roles of primary and secondary are switched, a double failover may actually be carried out such that: 1) a first failover event where the cloud computing instance 322 that formerly operated as the secondary controller begins to operate as the primary controller, and 2) a third cloud computing instance (not shown) that is of an instance type that has a relatively large amount of memory and processing power is spun up with a copy of the storage controller application, where the third cloud computing instance begins operating as the primary controller while the cloud computing instance 322 that originally operated as the secondary controller begins operating as the secondary controller again. In such an example, the cloud computing instance 320 that formerly operated as the primary controller may be terminated. Readers will appreciate that in alternative embodiments, the cloud computing instance 320 that is operating as the secondary controller after the failover event may continue to operate as the secondary controller and the cloud computing instance 322 that operated as the primary controller after the occurrence of the failover event may be terminated once the primary role has been assumed by the third cloud computing instance (not shown).

Readers will appreciate that while the embodiments described above relate to embodiments where one cloud computing instance 320 operates as the primary controller and the second cloud computing instance 322 operates as the secondary controller, other embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, each cloud computing instance 320, 322 may operate as a primary controller for some portion of the address space supported by the cloud-based storage system 318, each cloud computing instance 320, 322 may operate as a primary controller where the servicing of I/O operations directed to the cloud-based storage system 318 are divided in some other way, and so on. In fact, in other embodiments where costs savings may be prioritized over performance demands, only a single cloud computing instance may exist that contains the storage controller application. In such an example, a controller failure may take more time to recover from as a new cloud computing instance that includes the storage controller application would need to be spun up rather than having an already created cloud computing instance take on the role of servicing I/O operations that would have otherwise been handled by the failed cloud computing instance.

The cloud-based storage system 318 depicted in FIG. 3C includes cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338. The cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n depicted in FIG. 3C may be embodied, for example, as instances of cloud computing resources that may be provided by the cloud computing environment 316 to support the execution of software applications. The cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n of FIG. 3C may differ from the cloud computing instances 320, 322 described above as the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n of FIG. 3C have local storage 330, 334, 338 resources whereas the cloud computing instances 320, 322 that support the execution of the storage controller application 324, 326 need not have local storage resources. The cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 may be embodied, for example, as EC2 M5 instances that include one or more SSDs, as EC2 R5 instances that include one or more SSDs, as EC2 I3 instances that include one or more SSDs, and so on. In some embodiments, the local storage 330, 334, 338 must be embodied as solid-state storage (e.g., SSDs) rather than storage that makes use of hard disk drives.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3C, each of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 can include a software daemon 328, 332, 336 that, when executed by a cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n can present itself to the storage controller applications 324, 326 as if the cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n were a physical storage device (e.g., one or more SSDs). In such an example, the software daemon 328, 332, 336 may include computer program instructions similar to those that would normally be contained on a storage device such that the storage controller applications 324, 326 can send and receive the same commands that a storage controller would send to storage devices. In such a way, the storage controller applications 324, 326 may include code that is identical to (or substantially identical to) the code that would be executed by the controllers in the storage systems described above. In these and similar embodiments, communications between the storage controller applications 324, 326 and the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 may utilize iSCSI, NVMe over TCP, messaging, a custom protocol, or in some other mechanism.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3C, each of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 may also be coupled to block-storage 342, 344, 346 that is offered by the cloud computing environment 316. The block-storage 342, 344, 346 that is offered by the cloud computing environment 316 may be embodied, for example, as Amazon Elastic Block Store (‘EBS’) volumes. For example, a first EBS volume may be coupled to a first cloud computing instance 340 a, a second EBS volume may be coupled to a second cloud computing instance 340 b, and a third EBS volume may be coupled to a third cloud computing instance 340 n. In such an example, the block-storage 342, 344, 346 that is offered by the cloud computing environment 316 may be utilized in a manner that is similar to how the NVRAM devices described above are utilized, as the software daemon 328, 332, 336 (or some other module) that is executing within a particular cloud comping instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n may, upon receiving a request to write data, initiate a write of the data to its attached EBS volume as well as a write of the data to its local storage 330, 334, 338 resources. In some alternative embodiments, data may only be written to the local storage 330, 334, 338 resources within a particular cloud comping instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n. In an alternative embodiment, rather than using the block-storage 342, 344, 346 that is offered by the cloud computing environment 316 as NVRAM, actual RAM on each of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 may be used as NVRAM, thereby decreasing network utilization costs that would be associated with using an EBS volume as the NVRAM.

In the example depicted in FIG. 3C, the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 may be utilized, by cloud computing instances 320, 322 that support the execution of the storage controller application 324, 326 to service I/O operations that are directed to the cloud-based storage system 318. Consider an example in which a first cloud computing instance 320 that is executing the storage controller application 324 is operating as the primary controller. In such an example, the first cloud computing instance 320 that is executing the storage controller application 324 may receive (directly or indirectly via the secondary controller) requests to write data to the cloud-based storage system 318 from users of the cloud-based storage system 318. In such an example, the first cloud computing instance 320 that is executing the storage controller application 324 may perform various tasks such as, for example, deduplicating the data contained in the request, compressing the data contained in the request, determining where to the write the data contained in the request, and so on, before ultimately sending a request to write a deduplicated, encrypted, or otherwise possibly updated version of the data to one or more of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338. Either cloud computing instance 320, 322, in some embodiments, may receive a request to read data from the cloud-based storage system 318 and may ultimately send a request to read data to one or more of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338.

Readers will appreciate that when a request to write data is received by a particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338, the software daemon 328, 332, 336 or some other module of computer program instructions that is executing on the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n may be configured to not only write the data to its own local storage 330, 334, 338 resources and any appropriate block-storage 342, 344, 346 that are offered by the cloud computing environment 316, but the software daemon 328, 332, 336 or some other module of computer program instructions that is executing on the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n may also be configured to write the data to cloud-based object storage 348 that is attached to the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n. The cloud-based object storage 348 that is attached to the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n may be embodied, for example, as Amazon Simple Storage Service (‘S3’) storage that is accessible by the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n. In other embodiments, the cloud computing instances 320, 322 that each include the storage controller application 324, 326 may initiate the storage of the data in the local storage 330, 334, 338 of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n and the cloud-based object storage 348.

Readers will appreciate that, as described above, the cloud-based storage system 318 may be used to provide block storage services to users of the cloud-based storage system 318. While the local storage 330, 334, 338 resources and the block-storage 342, 344, 346 resources that are utilized by the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n may support block-level access, the cloud-based object storage 348 that is attached to the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n supports only object-based access. In order to address this, the software daemon 328, 332, 336 or some other module of computer program instructions that is executing on the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n may be configured to take blocks of data, package those blocks into objects, and write the objects to the cloud-based object storage 348 that is attached to the particular cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n.

Readers will appreciate that the cloud-based object storage 348 may be incorporated into the cloud-based storage system 318 to increase the durability of the cloud-based storage system 318. Continuing with the example described above where the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n are EC2 instances, readers will understand that EC2 instances are only guaranteed to have a monthly uptime of 99.9% and data stored in the local instance store only persists during the lifetime of the EC2 instance. As such, relying on the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 as the only source of persistent data storage in the cloud-based storage system 318 may result in a relatively unreliable storage system. Likewise, EBS volumes are designed for 99.999% availability. As such, even relying on EBS as the persistent data store in the cloud-based storage system 318 may result in a storage system that is not sufficiently durable. Amazon S3, however, is designed to provide 99.999999999% durability, meaning that a cloud-based storage system 318 that can incorporate S3 into its pool of storage is substantially more durable than various other options.

Readers will appreciate that while a cloud-based storage system 318 that can incorporate S3 into its pool of storage is substantially more durable than various other options, utilizing S3 as the primary pool of storage may result in storage system that has relatively slow response times and relatively long I/O latencies. As such, the cloud-based storage system 318 depicted in FIG. 3C not only stores data in S3 but the cloud-based storage system 318 also stores data in local storage 330, 334, 338 resources and block-storage 342, 344, 346 resources that are utilized by the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n, such that read operations can be serviced from local storage 330, 334, 338 resources and the block-storage 342, 344, 346 resources that are utilized by the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n, thereby reducing read latency when users of the cloud-based storage system 318 attempt to read data from the cloud-based storage system 318.

As described above, when the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 are embodied as EC2 instances, the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 are only guaranteed to have a monthly uptime of 99.9% and data stored in the local instance store only persists during the lifetime of each cloud computing instance 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338. As such, one or more modules of computer program instructions that are executing within the cloud-based storage system 318 (e.g., a monitoring module that is executing on its own EC2 instance) may be designed to handle the failure of one or more of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338. In such an example, the monitoring module may handle the failure of one or more of the cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n with local storage 330, 334, 338 by creating one or more new cloud computing instances with local storage, retrieving data that was stored on the failed cloud computing instances 340 a, 340 b, 340 n from the cloud-based object storage 348, and storing the data retrieved from the cloud-based object storage 348 in local storage on the newly created cloud computing instances. Readers will appreciate that many variants of this process may be implemented.

Readers will appreciate that the storage system 306 depicted in FIG. 3B may be useful for supporting various types of software applications. For example, the storage system 306 may be useful in supporting artificial intelligence (‘AI’) applications, database applications, DevOps projects, electronic design automation tools, event-driven software applications, high performance computing applications, simulation applications, high-speed data capture and analysis applications, machine learning applications, media production applications, media serving applications, picture archiving and communication systems (‘PACS’) applications, software development applications, virtual reality applications, augmented reality applications, and many other types of applications by providing storage resources to such applications.

The storage systems described above may also be part of a multi-cloud environment in which multiple cloud computing and storage services are deployed in a single heterogeneous architecture. In order to facilitate the operation of such a multi-cloud environment, DevOps tools may be deployed to enable orchestration across clouds. Likewise, continuous development and continuous integration tools may be deployed to standardize processes around continuous integration and delivery, new feature rollout and provisioning cloud workloads. By standardizing these processes, a multi-cloud strategy may be implemented that enables the utilization of the best provider for each workload. Furthermore, application monitoring and visibility tools may be deployed to move application workloads around different clouds, identify performance issues, and perform other tasks. In addition, security and compliance tools may be deployed for to ensure compliance with security requirements, government regulations, and so on. Such a multi-cloud environment may also include tools for application delivery and smart workload management to ensure efficient application delivery and help direct workloads across the distributed and heterogeneous infrastructure, as well as tools that ease the deployment and maintenance of packaged and custom applications in the cloud and enable portability amongst clouds. The multi-cloud environment may similarly include tools for data portability.

The systems described above can support the execution of a wide array of software applications. Such software applications can be deployed in a variety of ways, including container-based deployment models. Containerized applications may be managed using a variety of tools. For example, containerized applications may be managed using Docker Swarm, a clustering and scheduling tool for Docker containers that enables IT administrators and developers to establish and manage a cluster of Docker nodes as a single virtual system. Likewise, containerized applications may be managed through the use of Kubernetes, a container-orchestration system for automating deployment, scaling and management of containerized applications. Kubernetes may execute on top of operating systems such as, for example, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise Servers, and others. In such examples, a master node may assign tasks to worker/minion nodes. Kubernetes can include a set of components (e.g., kubelet, kube-proxy, cAdvisor) that manage individual nodes as a well as a set of components (e.g., etcd, API server, Scheduler, Control Manager) that form a control plane. Various controllers (e.g., Replication Controller, DaemonSet Controller) can drive the state of a Kubernetes cluster by managing a set of pods that includes one or more containers that are deployed on a single node. Containerized applications may be used to facilitate a serverless, cloud native computing deployment and management model for software applications. In support of a serverless, cloud native computing deployment and management model for software applications, containers may be used as part of an event handling mechanisms (e.g., AWS Lambdas) such that various events cause a containerized application to be spun up to operate as an event handler.

For further explanation, FIG. 3D illustrates an exemplary computing device 350 that may be specifically configured to perform one or more of the processes described herein. As shown in FIG. 3D, computing device 350 may include a communication interface 352, a processor 354, a storage device 356, and an input/output (“I/O”) module 358 communicatively connected one to another via a communication infrastructure 360. While an exemplary computing device 350 is shown in FIG. 3D, the components illustrated in FIG. 3D are not intended to be limiting. Additional or alternative components may be used in other embodiments. Components of computing device 350 shown in FIG. 3D will now be described in additional detail.

Communication interface 352 may be configured to communicate with one or more computing devices. Examples of communication interface 352 include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as a network interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a wireless network interface card), a modem, an audio/video connection, and any other suitable interface.

Processor 354 generally represents any type or form of processing unit capable of processing data and/or interpreting, executing, and/or directing execution of one or more of the instructions, processes, and/or operations described herein. Processor 354 may perform operations by executing computer-executable instructions 362 (e.g., an application, software, code, and/or other executable data instance) stored in storage device 356.

Storage device 356 may include one or more data storage media, devices, or configurations and may employ any type, form, and combination of data storage media and/or device. For example, storage device 356 may include, but is not limited to, any combination of the non-volatile media and/or volatile media described herein. Electronic data, including data described herein, may be temporarily and/or permanently stored in storage device 356. For example, data representative of computer-executable instructions 362 configured to direct processor 354 to perform any of the operations described herein may be stored within storage device 356. In some examples, data may be arranged in one or more databases residing within storage device 356.

I/O module 358 may include one or more I/O modules configured to receive user input and provide user output. I/O module 358 may include any hardware, firmware, software, or combination thereof supportive of input and output capabilities. For example, I/O module 358 may include hardware and/or software for capturing user input, including, but not limited to, a keyboard or keypad, a touchscreen component (e.g., touchscreen display), a receiver (e.g., an RF or infrared receiver), motion sensors, and/or one or more input buttons.

I/O module 358 may include one or more devices for presenting output to a user, including, but not limited to, a graphics engine, a display (e.g., a display screen), one or more output drivers (e.g., display drivers), one or more audio speakers, and one or more audio drivers. In certain embodiments, I/O module 358 is configured to provide graphical data to a display for presentation to a user. The graphical data may be representative of one or more graphical user interfaces and/or any other graphical content as may serve a particular implementation. In some examples, any of the systems, computing devices, and/or other components described herein may be implemented by computing device 350.

For further explanation, FIG. 4 sets forth a block diagram illustrating a plurality of storage systems (402, 404, 406) that support a pod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although depicted in less detail, the storage systems (402, 404, 406) depicted in FIG. 4 may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 2A-2G, FIGS. 3A-3B, or any combination thereof. In fact, the storage systems (402, 404, 406) depicted in FIG. 4 may include the same, fewer, or additional components as the storage systems described above.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, each of the storage systems (402, 404, 406) is depicted as having at least one computer processor (408, 410, 412), computer memory (414, 416, 418), and computer storage (420, 422, 424). Although in some embodiments the computer memory (414, 416, 418) and the computer storage (420, 422, 424) may be part of the same hardware devices, in other embodiments the computer memory (414, 416, 418) and the computer storage (420, 422, 424) may be part of different hardware devices. The distinction between the computer memory (414, 416, 418) and the computer storage (420, 422, 424) in this particular example may be that the computer memory (414, 416, 418) is physically proximate to the computer processors (408, 410, 412) and may store computer program instructions that are executed by the computer processors (408, 410, 412), while the computer storage (420, 422, 424) is embodied as non-volatile storage for storing user data, metadata describing the user data, and so on. Referring to the example above in FIG. 1A, for example, the computer processors (408, 410, 412) and computer memory (414, 416, 418) for a particular storage system (402, 404, 406) may reside within one of more of the controllers (110A-110D) while the attached storage devices (171A-171F) may serve as the computer storage (420, 422, 424) within a particular storage system (402, 404, 406).

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may attach to one or more pods (430, 432) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Each of the pods (430, 432) depicted in FIG. 4 can include a dataset (426, 428). For example, a first pod (430) that three storage systems (402, 404, 406) have attached to includes a first dataset (426) while a second pod (432) that two storage systems (404, 406) have attached to includes a second dataset (428). In such an example, when a particular storage system attaches to a pod, the pod's dataset is copied to the particular storage system and then kept up to date as the dataset is modified. Storage systems can be removed from a pod, resulting in the dataset being no longer kept up to date on the removed storage system. In the example depicted in FIG. 4, any storage system which is active for a pod (it is an up-to-date, operating, non-faulted member of a non-faulted pod) can receive and process requests to modify or read the pod's dataset.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, each pod (430, 432) may also include a set of managed objects and management operations, as well as a set of access operations to modify or read the dataset (426, 428) that is associated with the particular pod (430, 432). In such an example, the management operations may modify or query managed objects equivalently through any of the storage systems. Likewise, access operations to read or modify the dataset may operate equivalently through any of the storage systems. In such an example, while each storage system stores a separate copy of the dataset as a proper subset of the datasets stored and advertised for use by the storage system, the operations to modify managed objects or the dataset performed and completed through any one storage system are reflected in subsequent management objects to query the pod or subsequent access operations to read the dataset.

Readers will appreciate that pods may implement more capabilities than just a clustered synchronously replicated dataset. For example, pods can be used to implement tenants, whereby datasets are in some way securely isolated from each other. Pods can also be used to implement virtual arrays or virtual storage systems where each pod is presented as a unique storage entity on a network (e.g., a Storage Area Network, or Internet Protocol network) with separate addresses. In the case of a multi-storage-system pod implementing a virtual storage system, all physical storage systems associated with the pod may present themselves as in some way the same storage system (e.g., as if the multiple physical storage systems were no different than multiple network ports into a single storage system).

Readers will appreciate that pods may also be units of administration, representing a collection of volumes, file systems, object/analytic stores, snapshots, and other administrative entities, where making administrative changes (e.g., name changes, property changes, managing exports or permissions for some part of the pod's dataset), on any one storage system is automatically reflected to all active storage systems associated with the pod. In addition, pods could also be units of data collection and data analysis, where performance and capacity metrics are presented in ways that aggregate across all active storage systems for the pod, or that call out data collection and analysis separately for each pod, or perhaps presenting each attached storage system's contribution to the incoming content and performance for each a pod.

One model for pod membership may be defined as a list of storage systems, and a subset of that list where storage systems are considered to be in-sync for the pod. A storage system may be considered to be in-sync for a pod if it is at least within a recovery of having identical idle content for the last written copy of the dataset associated with the pod. Idle content is the content after any in-progress modifications have completed with no processing of new modifications. Sometimes this is referred to as “crash recoverable” consistency. Recovery of a pod carries out the process of reconciling differences in applying concurrent updates to in-sync storage systems in the pod. Recovery can resolve any inconsistencies between storage systems in the completion of concurrent modifications that had been requested to various members of the pod but that were not signaled to any requestor as having completed successfully. Storage systems that are listed as pod members but that are not listed as in-sync for the pod can be described as “detached” from the pod. Storage systems that are listed as pod members, are in-sync for the pod, and are currently available for actively serving data for the pod are “online” for the pod.

Each storage system member of a pod may have its own copy of the membership, including which storage systems it last knew were in-sync, and which storage systems it last knew comprised the entire set of pod members. To be online for a pod, a storage system must consider itself to be in-sync for the pod and must be communicating with all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod. If a storage system can't be certain that it is in-sync and communicating with all other storage systems that are in-sync, then it must stop processing new incoming requests for the pod (or must complete them with an error or exception) until it can be certain that it is in-sync and communicating with all other storage systems that are in-sync. A first storage system may conclude that a second paired storage system should be detached, which will allow the first storage system to continue since it is now in-sync with all storage systems now in the list. But, the second storage system must be prevented from concluding, alternatively, that the first storage system should be detached and with the second storage system continuing operation. This would result in a “split brain” condition that can lead to irreconcilable datasets, dataset corruption, or application corruption, among other dangers.

The situation of needing to determine how to proceed when not communicating with paired storage systems can arise while a storage system is running normally and then notices lost communications, while it is currently recovering from some previous fault, while it is rebooting or resuming from a temporary power loss or recovered communication outage, while it is switching operations from one set of storage system controller to another set for whatever reason, or during or after any combination of these or other kinds of events. In fact, any time a storage system that is associated with a pod can't communicate with all known non-detached members, the storage system can either wait briefly until communications can be established, go offline and continue waiting, or it can determine through some means that it is safe to detach the non-communicating storage system without risk of incurring a split brain due to the non-communicating storage system concluding the alternative view, and then continue. If a safe detach can happen quickly enough, the storage system can remain online for the pod with little more than a short delay and with no resulting application outages for applications that can issue requests to the remaining online storage systems.

One example of this situation is when a storage system may know that it is out-of-date. That can happen, for example, when a first storage system is first added to a pod that is already associated with one or more storage systems, or when a first storage system reconnects to another storage system and finds that the other storage system had already marked the first storage system as detached. In this case, this first storage system will simply wait until it connects to some other set of storage systems that are in-sync for the pod.

This model demands some degree of consideration for how storage systems are added to or removed from pods or from the in-sync pod members list. Since each storage system will have its own copy of the list, and since two independent storage systems can't update their local copy at exactly the same time, and since the local copy is all that is available on a reboot or in various fault scenarios, care must be taken to ensure that transient inconsistencies don't cause problems. For example, if one storage systems is in-sync for a pod and a second storage system is added, then if the second storage system is updated to list both storage systems as in-sync first, then if there is a fault and a restart of both storage systems, the second might startup and wait to connect to the first storage system while the first might be unaware that it should or could wait for the second storage system. If the second storage system then responds to an inability to connect with the first storage system by going through a process to detach it, then it might succeed in completing a process that the first storage system is unaware of, resulting in a split brain. As such, it may be necessary to ensure that storage systems won't disagree inappropriately on whether they might opt to go through a detach process if they aren't communicating.

One way to ensure that storage systems won't disagree inappropriately on whether they might opt to go through a detach process if they aren't communicating is to ensure that when adding a new storage system to the in-sync member list for a pod, the new storage system first stores that it is a detached member (and perhaps that it is being added as an in-sync member). Then, the existing in-sync storage systems can locally store that the new storage system is an in-sync pod member before the new storage system locally stores that same fact. If there is a set of reboots or network outages prior to the new storage system storing its in-sync status, then the original storage systems may detach the new storage system due to non-communication, but the new storage system will wait. A reverse version of this change might be needed for removing a communicating storage system from a pod: first the storage system being removed stores that it is no longer in-sync, then the storage systems that will remain store that the storage system being removed is no longer in-sync, then all storage systems delete the storage system being removed from their pod membership lists. Depending on the implementation, an intermediate persisted detached state may not be necessary. Whether or not care is required in local copies of membership lists may depend on the model storage systems use for monitoring each other or for validating their membership. If a consensus model is used for both, or if an external system (or an external distributed or clustered system) is used to store and validate pod membership, then inconsistencies in locally stored membership lists may not matter.

When communications fail or one or several storage systems in a pod fail, or when a storage system starts up (or fails over to a secondary controller) and can't communicate with paired storage systems for a pod, and it is time for one or more storage systems to decide to detach one or more paired storage systems, some algorithm or mechanism must be employed to decide that it is safe to do so and to follow through on the detach. One means of resolving detaches is use a majority (or quorum) model for membership. With three storage systems, as long as two are communicating, they can agree to detach a third storage system that isn't communicating, but that third storage system cannot by itself choose to detach either of the other two. Confusion can arise when storage system communication is inconsistent. For example, storage system A might be communicating with storage system B but not C, while storage system B might be communicating with both A and C. So, A and B could detach C, or B and C could detach A, but more communication between pod members may be needed to figure this out.

Care needs to be taken in a quorum membership model when adding and removing storage systems. For example, if a fourth storage system is added, then a “majority” of storage systems is at that point three. The transition from three storage systems (with two required for majority) to a pod including a fourth storage system (with three required for majority) may require something similar to the model described previously for carefully adding a storage system to the in-sync list. For example, the fourth storage system might start in an attaching state but not yet attached where it would never instigate a vote over quorum. Once in that state, the original three pod members could each be updated to be aware of the fourth member and the new requirement for a three storage system majority to detach a fourth. Removing a storage system from a pod might similarly move that storage system to a locally stored “detaching” state before updating other pod members. A variant scheme for this is to use a distributed consensus mechanism such as PAXOS or RAFT to implement any membership changes or to process detach requests.

Another means of managing membership transitions is to use an external system that is outside of the storage systems themselves to handle pod membership. In order to become online for a pod, a storage system must first contact the external pod membership system to verify that it is in-sync for the pod. Any storage system that is online for a pod should then remain in communication with the pod membership system and should wait or go offline if it loses communication. An external pod membership manager could be implemented as a highly available cluster using various cluster tools, such as Oracle RAC, Linux HA, VERITAS Cluster Server, IBM's HACMP, or others. An external pod membership manager could also use distributed configuration tools such as Etcd or Zookeeper, or a reliable distributed database such as Amazon's DynamoDB.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may receive a request to read a portion of the dataset (426, 428) and process the request to read the portion of the dataset locally according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Readers will appreciate that although requests to modify (e.g., a write operation) the dataset (426, 428) require coordination between the storage systems (402, 404, 406) in a pod, as the dataset (426, 428) should be consistent across all storage systems (402, 404, 406) in a pod, responding to a request to read a portion of the dataset (426, 428) does not require similar coordination between the storage systems (402, 404, 406). As such, a particular storage system that receives a read request may service the read request locally by reading a portion of the dataset (426, 428) that is stored within the storage system's storage devices, with no synchronous communication with other storage systems in the pod. Read requests received by one storage system for a replicated dataset in a replicated cluster are expected to avoid any communication in the vast majority of cases, at least when received by a storage system that is running within a cluster that is also running nominally. Such reads should normally be processed simply by reading from the local copy of a clustered dataset with no further interaction required with other storage systems in the cluster.

Readers will appreciate that the storage systems may take steps to ensure read consistency such that a read request will return the same result regardless of which storage system processes the read request. For example, the resulting clustered dataset content for any set of updates received by any set of storage systems in the cluster should be consistent across the cluster, at least at any time updates are idle (all previous modifying operations have been indicated as complete and no new update requests have been received and processed in any way). More specifically, the instances of a clustered dataset across a set of storage systems can differ only as a result of updates that have not yet completed. This means, for example, that any two write requests which overlap in their volume block range, or any combination of a write request and an overlapping snapshot, compare-and-write, or virtual block range copy, must yield a consistent result on all copies of the dataset. Two operations should not yield a result as if they happened in one order on one storage system and a different order on another storage system in the replicated cluster.

Furthermore, read requests can be made time order consistent. For example, if one read request is received on a replicated cluster and completed and that read is then followed by another read request to an overlapping address range which is received by the replicated cluster and where one or both reads in any way overlap in time and volume address range with a modification request received by the replicated cluster (whether any of the reads or the modification are received by the same storage system or a different storage system in the replicated cluster), then if the first read reflects the result of the update then the second read should also reflect the results of that update, rather than possibly returning data that preceded the update. If the first read does not reflect the update, then the second read can either reflect the update or not. This ensures that between two read requests “time” for a data segment cannot roll backward.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also detect a disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems and determine whether to the particular storage system should remain in the pod. A disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems may occur for a variety of reasons. For example, a disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems may occur because one of the storage systems has failed, because a network interconnect has failed, or for some other reason. An important aspect of synchronous replicated clustering is ensuring that any fault handling doesn't result in unrecoverable inconsistencies, or any inconsistency in responses. For example, if a network fails between two storage systems, at most one of the storage systems can continue processing newly incoming I/O requests for a pod. And, if one storage system continues processing, the other storage system can't process any new requests to completion, including read requests.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also determine whether the particular storage system should remain in the pod in response to detecting a disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems. As mentioned above, to be ‘online’ as part of a pod, a storage system must consider itself to be in-sync for the pod and must be communicating with all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod. If a storage system can't be certain that it is in-sync and communicating with all other storage systems that are in-sync, then it may stop processing new incoming requests to access the dataset (426, 428). As such, the storage system may determine whether to the particular storage system should remain online as part of the pod, for example, by determining whether it can communicate with all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod (e.g., via one or more test messages), by determining whether the all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod also consider the storage system to be attached to the pod, through a combination of both steps where the particular storage system must confirm that it can communicate with all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod and that all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod also consider the storage system to be attached to the pod, or through some other mechanism.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also keep the dataset on the particular storage system accessible for management and dataset operations in response to determining that the particular storage system should remain in the pod. The storage system may keep the dataset (426, 428) on the particular storage system accessible for management and dataset operations, for example, by accepting requests to access the version of the dataset (426, 428) that is stored on the storage system and processing such requests, by accepting and processing management operations associated with the dataset (426, 428) that are issued by a host or authorized administrator, by accepting and processing management operations associated with the dataset (426, 428) that are issued by one of the other storage systems, or in some other way.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may, however, make the dataset on the particular storage system inaccessible for management and dataset operations in response to determining that the particular storage system should not remain in the pod. The storage system may make the dataset (426, 428) on the particular storage system inaccessible for management and dataset operations, for example, by rejecting requests to access the version of the dataset (426, 428) that is stored on the storage system, by rejecting management operations associated with the dataset (426, 428) that are issued by a host or other authorized administrator, by rejecting management operations associated with the dataset (426, 428) that are issued by one of the other storage systems in the pod, or in some other way.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also detect that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems has been repaired and make the dataset on the particular storage system accessible for management and dataset operations. The storage system may detect that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems has been repaired, for example, by receiving a message from the one or more of the other storage systems. In response to detecting that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems has been repaired, the storage system may make the dataset (426, 428) on the particular storage system accessible for management and dataset operations once the previously detached storage system has been resynchronized with the storage systems that remained attached to the pod.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also go offline from the pod such that the particular storage system no longer allows management and dataset operations. The depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may go offline from the pod such that the particular storage system no longer allows management and dataset operations for a variety of reasons. For example, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also go offline from the pod due to some fault with the storage system itself, because an update or some other maintenance is occurring on the storage system, due to communications faults, or for many other reasons. In such an example, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may subsequently update the dataset on the particular storage system to include all updates to the dataset since the particular storage system went offline and go back online with the pod such that the particular storage system allows management and dataset operations, as will be described in greater detail in the resynchronization sections included below.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also identifying a target storage system for asynchronously receiving the dataset, where the target storage system is not one of the plurality of storage systems across which the dataset is synchronously replicated. Such a target storage system may represent, for example, a backup storage system, as some storage system that makes use of the synchronously replicated dataset, and so on. In fact, synchronous replication can be leveraged to distribute copies of a dataset closer to some rack of servers, for better local read performance. One such case is smaller top-of-rack storage systems symmetrically replicated to larger storage systems that are centrally located in the data center or campus and where those larger storage systems are more carefully managed for reliability or are connected to external networks for asynchronous replication or backup services.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also identify a portion of the dataset that is not being asynchronously replicated to the target storage system by any of the other storages systems and asynchronously replicate, to the target storage system, the portion of the dataset that is not being asynchronously replicated to the target storage system by any of the other storages systems, wherein the two or more storage systems collectively replicate the entire dataset to the target storage system. In such a way, the work associated with asynchronously replicating a particular dataset may be split amongst the members of a pod, such that each storage system in a pod is only responsible for asynchronously replicating a subset of a dataset to the target storage system.

In the example depicted in FIG. 4, the depicted storage systems (402, 404, 406) may also detach from the pod, such that the particular storage system that detaches from the pod is no longer included in the set of storage systems across which the dataset is synchronously replicated. For example, if storage system (404) in FIG. 4 detached from the pod (430) illustrated in FIG. 4, the pod (430) would only include storage systems (402, 406) as the storage systems across which the dataset (426) that is included in the pod (430) would be synchronously replicated across. In such an example, detaching the storage system from the pod could also include removing the dataset from the particular storage system that detached from the pod. Continuing with the example where the storage system (404) in FIG. 4 detached from the pod (430) illustrated in FIG. 4, the dataset (426) that is included in the pod (430) could be deleted or otherwise removed from the storage system (404).

Readers will appreciate that there are a number of unique administrative capabilities enabled by the pod model that can further be supported. Also, the pod model itself introduces some issues that can be addressed by an implementation. For example, when a storage system is offline for a pod, but is otherwise running, such as because an interconnect failed and another storage system for the pod won out in mediation, there may still be a desire or need to access the offline pod's dataset on the offline storage system. One solution may be simply to enable the pod in some detached mode and allow the dataset to be accessed. However, that solution can be dangerous and that solution can cause the pod's metadata and data to be much more difficult to reconcile when the storage systems do regain communication. Furthermore, there could still be a separate path for hosts to access the offline storage system as well as the still online storage systems. In that case, a host might issue I/O to both storage systems even though they are no longer being kept in sync, because the host sees target ports reporting volumes with the same identifiers and the host I/O drivers presume it sees additional paths to the same volume. This can result in fairly damaging data corruption as reads and writes issued to both storage systems are no longer consistent even though the host presumes they are. As a variant of this case, in a clustered application, such as a shared storage clustered database, the clustered application running on one host might be reading or writing to one storage system and the same clustered application running on another host might be reading or writing to the “detached” storage system, yet the two instances of the clustered application are communicating between each other on the presumption that the dataset they each see is entirely consistent for completed writes. Since they aren't consistent, that presumption is violated and the application's dataset (e.g., the database) can quickly end up being corrupted.

One way to solve both of these problems is to allow for an offline pod, or perhaps a snapshot of an offline pod, to be copied to a new pod with new volumes that have sufficiently new identities that host I/O drivers and clustered applications won't confuse the copied volumes as being the same as the still online volumes on another storage system. Since each pod maintains a complete copy of the dataset, which is crash consistent but perhaps slightly different from the copy of the pod dataset on another storage system, and since each pod has an independent copy of all data and metadata needed to operate on the pod content, it is a straightforward problem to make a virtual copy of some or all volumes or snapshots in the pod to new volumes in a new pod. In a logical extent graph implementation, for example, all that is needed is to define new volumes in a new pod which reference logical extent graphs from the copied pod associated with the pod's volumes or snapshots, and with the logical extent graphs being marked as copy on write. The new volumes should be treated as new volumes, similarly to how volume snapshots copied to a new volume might be implemented. Volumes may have the same administrative name, though within a new pod namespace. But, they should have different underlying identifiers, and differing logical unit identifiers from the original volumes.

In some cases it may be possible to use virtual network isolation techniques (for example, by creating a virtual LAN in the case of IP networks or a virtual SAN in the case of fiber channel networks) in such a way that isolation of volumes presented to some interfaces can be assured to be inaccessible from host network interfaces or host SCSI initiator ports that might also see the original volumes. In such cases, it may be safe to provide the copies of volumes with the same SCSI or other storage identifiers as the original volumes. This could be used, for example, in cases where the applications expect to see a particular set of storage identifiers in order to function without an undue burden in reconfiguration.

Some of the techniques described herein could also be used outside of an active fault context to test readiness for handling faults. Readiness testing (sometimes referred to as “fire drills”) is commonly required for disaster recovery configurations, where frequent and repeated testing is considered a necessity to ensure that most or all aspects of a disaster recovery plan are correct and account for any recent changes to applications, datasets, or changes in equipment. Readiness testing should be non-disruptive to current production operations, including replication. In many cases the real operations can't actually be invoked on the active configuration, but a good way to get close is to use storage operations to make copies of production datasets, and then perhaps couple that with the use of virtual networking, to create an isolated environment containing all data that is believed necessary for the important applications that must be brought up successfully in cases of disasters. Making such a copy of a synchronously replicated (or even an asynchronously replicated) dataset available within a site (or collection of sites) that is expected to perform a disaster recovery readiness test procedure and then starting the important applications on that dataset to ensure that it can startup and function is a great tool, since it helps ensure that no important parts of the application datasets were left out in the disaster recovery plan. If necessary, and practical, this could be coupled with virtual isolated networks coupled perhaps with isolated collection of physical or virtual machines, to get as close as possible to a real world disaster recovery takeover scenario. Virtually copying a pod (or set of pods) to another pod as a point-in-time image of the pod datasets immediately creates an isolated dataset that contains all the copied elements and that can then be operated on essentially identically to the originally pods, as well as allowing isolation to a single site (or a few sites) separately from the original pod. Further, these are fast operations and they can be torn down and repeated easily allowing testing to repeated as often as is desired.

Some enhancements could be made to get further toward perfect disaster recovery testing. For example, in conjunction with isolated networks, SCSI logical unit identities or other types of identities could be copied into the target pod so that the test servers, virtual machines, and applications see the same identities. Further, the administrative environment of the servers could be configured to respond to requests from a particular virtual set of virtual networks to respond to requests and operations on the original pod name so scripts don't require use of test-variants with alternate “test” versions of object names. A further enhancement can be used in cases where the host-side server infrastructure that will take over in the case of a disaster takeover can be used during a test. This includes cases where a disaster recovery data center is completely stocked with alternative server infrastructure that won't generally be used until directed to do so by a disaster. It also includes cases where that infrastructure might be used for non-critical operations (for example, running analytics on production data, or simply supporting application development or other functions which may be important but can be halted if needed for more critical functions). Specifically, host definitions and configurations and the server infrastructure that will use them can be set up as they will be for an actual disaster recovery takeover event and tested as part of disaster recovery takeover testing, with the tested volumes being connected to these host definitions from the virtual pod copy used to provide a snapshot of the dataset. From the standpoint of the storage systems involved, then, these host definitions and configurations used for testing, and the volume-to-host connection configurations used during testing, can be reused when an actual disaster takeover event is triggered, greatly minimizing the configuration differences between the test configuration and the real configuration that will be used in case of a disaster recovery takeover.

In some cases it may make sense to move volumes out of a first pod and into a new second pod including just those volumes. The pod membership and high availability and recovery characteristics can then be adjusted separately, and administration of the two resulting pod datasets can then be isolated from each other. An operation that can be done in one direction should also be possible in the other direction. At some point, it may make sense to take two pods and merge them into one so that the volumes in each of the original two pods will now track each other for storage system membership and high availability and recovery characteristics and events. Both operations can be accomplished safely and with reasonably minimal or no disruption to running applications by relying on the characteristics suggested for changing mediation or quorum properties for a pod which were discussed in an earlier section. With mediation, for example, a mediator for a pod can be changed using a sequence consisting of a step where each storage system in a pod is changed to depend on both a first mediator and a second mediator and each is then changed to depend only on the second mediator. If a fault occurs in the middle of the sequence, some storage systems may depend on both the first mediator and the second mediator, but in no case will recovery and fault handling result in some storage systems depending only on the first mediator and other storage systems only depending on the second mediator. Quorum can be handled similarly by temporarily depending on winning against both a first quorum model and a second quorum model in order to proceed to recovery. This may result in a very short time period where availability of the pod in the face of faults depend on additional resources, thus reducing potential availability, but this time period is very short and the reduction in availability is often very little. With mediation, if the change in mediator parameters is nothing more than the change in the key used for mediation and the mediation service used is the same, then the potential reduction in availability is even less, since it now depends only on two calls to the same service versus one call to that service, and rather than separate calls to two separate services.

Readers will note that changing the quorum model may be quite complex. An additional step may be necessary where storage systems will participate in the second quorum model but won't depend on winning in that second quorum model, which is then followed by the step of also depending on the second quorum model. This may be necessary to account for the fact that if only one system has processed the change to depend on the quorum model, then it will never win quorum since there will never be a majority. With this model in place for changing the high availability parameters (mediation relationship, quorum model, takeover preferences), we can create a safe procedure for these operations to split a pod into two or to join two pods into one. This may require adding one other capability: linking a second pod to a first pod for high availability such that if two pods include compatible high availability parameters the second pod linked to the first pod can depend on the first pod for determining and instigating detach-related processing and operations, offline and in-sync states, and recovery and resynchronization actions.

To split a pod into two, which is an operation to move some volumes into a newly created pod, a distributed operation may be formed that can be described as: form a second pod into which we will move a set of volumes which were previously in a first pod, copy the high availability parameters from the first pod into the second pod to ensure they are compatible for linking, and link the second pod to the first pod for high availability. This operation may be encoded as messages and should be implemented by each storage system in the pod in such a way that the storage system ensures that the operation happens completely on that storage system or does not happen at all if processing is interrupted by a fault. Once all in-sync storage systems for the two pods have processed this operation, the storage systems can then process a subsequent operation which changes the second pod so that it is no longer linked to the first pod. As with other changes to high availability characteristics for a pod, this involves first having each in-sync storage system change to rely on both the previous model (that model being that high availability is linked to the first pod) and the new model (that model being its own now independent high availability). In the case of mediation or quorum, this means that storage systems which processed this change will first depend on mediation or quorum being achieved as appropriate for the first pod and will additionally depend on a new separate mediation (for example, a new mediation key) or quorum being achieved for the second pod before the second pod can proceed following a fault that required mediation or testing for quorum. As with the previous description of changing quorum models, an intermediate step may set storage systems to participate in quorum for the second pod before the step where storage systems participate in and depend on quorum for the second pod. Once all in-sync storage systems have processed the change to depend on the new parameters for mediation or quorum for both the first pod and the second pod, the split is complete.

Joining a second pod into a first pod operates essentially in reverse. First, the second pod must be adjusted to be compatible with the first pod, by having an identical list of storage systems and by having a compatible high availability model. This may involve some set of steps such as those described elsewhere in this paper to add or remove storage systems or to change mediator and quorum models. Depending on implementation, it may be necessary only to reach an identical list of storage systems. Joining proceeds by processing an operation on each in-sync storage system to link the second pod to the first pod for high availability. Each storage system which processes that operation will then depend on the first pod for high availability and then the second pod for high availability. Once all in-sync storage systems for the second pod have processed that operation, the storage systems will then each process a subsequent operation to eliminate the link between the second pod and the first pod, migrate the volumes from the second pod into the first pod, and delete the second pod. Host or application dataset access can be preserved throughout these operations, as long as the implementation allows proper direction of host or application dataset modification or read operations to the volume by identity and as long as the identity is preserved as appropriate to the storage protocol or storage model (for example, as long as logical unit identifiers for volumes and use of target ports for accessing volumes are preserved in the case of SCSI).

Migrating a volume between pods may present issues. If the pods have an identical set of in-sync membership storage systems, then it may be straightforward: temporarily suspend operations on the volumes being migrated, switch control over operations on those volumes to controlling software and structures for the new pod, and then resume operations. This allows for a seamless migration with continuous uptime for applications apart from the very brief operation suspension, provided network and ports migrate properly between pods. Depending on the implementation, suspending operations may not even be necessary, or may be so internal to the system that the suspension of operations has no impact. Copying volumes between pods with different in-sync membership sets is more of a problem. If the target pod for the copy has a subset of in-sync members from the source pod, this isn't much of a problem: a member storage system can be dropped safely enough without having to do more work. But, if the target pod adds in-sync member storage systems to the volume over the source pod, then the added storage systems must be synchronized to include the volume's content before they can be used. Until synchronized, this leaves the copied volumes distinctly different from the already synchronized volumes, in that fault handling differs and request handling from the not yet synced member storage systems either won't work or must be forwarded or won't be as fast because reads will have to traverse an interconnect. Also, the internal implementation will have to handle some volumes being in sync and ready for fault handling and others not being in sync.

There are other problems relating to reliability of the operation in the face of faults. Coordinating a migration of volumes between multi-storage-system pods is a distributed operation. If pods are the unit of fault handling and recovery, and if mediation or quorum or whatever means are used to avoid split-brain situations, then a switch in volumes from one pod with a particular set of state and configurations and relationships for fault handling, recovery, mediation and quorum to another then storage systems in a pod have to be careful about coordinating changes related to that handling for any volumes. Operations can't be atomically distributed between storage systems, but must be staged in some way. Mediation and quorum models essentially provide pods with the tools for implementing distributed transactional atomicity, but this may not extend to inter-pod operations without adding to the implementation.

Consider even a simple migration of a volume from a first pod to a second pod even for two pods that share the same first and second storage systems. At some point the storage systems will coordinate to define that the volume is now in the second pod and is no longer in the first pod. If there is no inherent mechanism for transactional atomicity across the storage systems for the two pods, then a naive implementation could leave the volume in the first pod on the first storage system and the second pod on the second storage system at the time of a network fault that results in fault handling to detach storage systems from the two pods. If pods separately determine which storage system succeeds in detaching the other, then the result could be that the same storage system detaches the other storage system for both pods, in which case the result of the volume migration recovery should be consistent, or it could result in a different storage system detaching the other for the two pods. If the first storage system detaches the second storage system for the first pod and the second storage system detaches the first storage system for the second pod, then recovery might result in the volume being recovered to the first pod on the first storage system and into the second pod on the second storage system, with the volume then running and exported to hosts and storage applications on both storage systems. If instead the second storage system detaches the first storage system for the first pod and first storage detaches the second storage system for the second pod, then recovery might result in the volume being discarded from the second pod by the first storage system and the volume being discarded from the first pod by the second storage system, resulting in the volume disappearing entirely. If the pods a volume is being migrated between are on differing sets of storage systems, then things can get even more complicated.

A solution to these problems may be to use an intermediate pod along with the techniques described previously for splitting and joining pods. This intermediate pod may never be presented as visible managed objects associated with the storage systems. In this model, volumes to be moved from a first pod to a second pod are first split from the first pod into a new intermediate pod using the split operation described previously. The storage system members for the intermediate pod can then be adjusted to match the membership of storage systems by adding or removing storage systems from the pod as necessary. Subsequently, the intermediate pod can be joined with the second pod.

For further explanation, FIG. 5 sets forth a flow chart illustrating steps that may be performed by storage systems (402, 404, 406) that support a pod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although depicted in less detail, the storage systems (402, 404, 406) depicted in FIG. 5 may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 2A-2G, FIGS. 3A-3B, FIG. 4, or any combination thereof. In fact, the storage systems (402, 404, 406) depicted in FIG. 5 may include the same, fewer, additional components as the storage systems described above.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, a storage system (402) may attach (508) to a pod. The model for pod membership may include a list of storage systems and a subset of that list where storage systems are presumed to be in-sync for the pod. A storage system is in-sync for a pod if it is at least within a recovery of having identical idle content for the last written copy of the dataset associated with the pod. Idle content is the content after any in-progress modifications have completed with no processing of new modifications. Sometimes this is referred to as “crash recoverable” consistency. Storage systems that are listed as pod members but that are not listed as in-sync for the pod can be described as “detached” from the pod. Storage systems that are listed as pod members, are in-sync for the pod, and are currently available for actively serving data for the pod are “online” for the pod.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may attach (508) to a pod, for example, by synchronizing its locally stored version of the dataset (426) along with an up-to-date version of the dataset (426) that is stored on other storage systems (404, 406) in the pod that are online, as the term is described above. In such an example, in order for the storage system (402) to attach (508) to the pod, a pod definition stored locally within each of the storage systems (402, 404, 406) in the pod may need to be updated in order for the storage system (402) to attach (508) to the pod. In such an example, each storage system member of a pod may have its own copy of the membership, including which storage systems it last knew were in-sync, and which storage systems it last knew comprised the entire set of pod members.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may also receive (510) a request to read a portion of the dataset (426) and the storage system (402) may process (512) the request to read the portion of the dataset (426) locally. Readers will appreciate that although requests to modify (e.g., a write operation) the dataset (426) require coordination between the storage systems (402, 404, 406) in a pod, as the dataset (426) should be consistent across all storage systems (402, 404, 406) in a pod, responding to a request to read a portion of the dataset (426) does not require similar coordination between the storage systems (402, 404, 406). As such, a particular storage system (402) that receives a read request may service the read request locally by reading a portion of the dataset (426) that is stored within the storage system's (402) storage devices, with no synchronous communication with other storage systems (404, 406) in the pod. Read requests received by one storage system for a replicated dataset in a replicated cluster are expected to avoid any communication in the vast majority of cases, at least when received by a storage system that is running within a cluster that is also running nominally. Such reads should normally be processed simply by reading from the local copy of a clustered dataset with no further interaction required with other storage systems in the cluster

Readers will appreciate that the storage systems may take steps to ensure read consistency such that a read request will return the same result regardless of which storage system processes the read request. For example, the resulting clustered dataset content for any set of updates received by any set of storage systems in the cluster should be consistent across the cluster, at least at any time updates are idle (all previous modifying operations have been indicated as complete and no new update requests have been received and processed in any way). More specifically, the instances of a clustered dataset across a set of storage systems can differ only as a result of updates that have not yet completed. This means, for example, that any two write requests which overlap in their volume block range, or any combination of a write request and an overlapping snapshot, compare-and-write, or virtual block range copy, must yield a consistent result on all copies of the dataset. Two operations cannot yield a result as if they happened in one order on one storage system and a different order on another storage system in the replicated cluster.

Furthermore, read requests may be time order consistent. For example, if one read request is received on a replicated cluster and completed and that read is then followed by another read request to an overlapping address range which is received by the replicated cluster and where one or both reads in any way overlap in time and volume address range with a modification request received by the replicated cluster (whether any of the reads or the modification are received by the same storage system or a different storage system in the replicated cluster), then if the first read reflects the result of the update then the second read should also reflect the results of that update, rather than possibly returning data that preceded the update. If the first read does not reflect the update, then the second read can either reflect the update or not. This ensures that between two read requests “time” for a data segment cannot roll backward.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may also detect (514) a disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406). A disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406) may occur for a variety of reasons. For example, a disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406) may occur because one of the storage systems (402, 404, 406) has failed, because a network interconnect has failed, or for some other reason. An important aspect of synchronous replicated clustering is ensuring that any fault handling doesn't result in unrecoverable inconsistencies, or any inconsistency in responses. For example, if a network fails between two storage systems, at most one of the storage systems can continue processing newly incoming I/O requests for a pod. And, if one storage system continues processing, the other storage system can't process any new requests to completion, including read requests.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may also determine (516) whether to the particular storage system (402) should remain online as part of the pod. As mentioned above, to be ‘online’ as part of a pod, a storage system must consider itself to be in-sync for the pod and must be communicating with all other storage systems it considers to be in-sync for the pod. If a storage system can't be certain that it is in-sync and communicating with all other storage systems that are in-sync, then it may stop processing new incoming requests to access the dataset (426). As such, the storage system (402) may determine (516) whether to the particular storage system (402) should remain online as part of the pod, for example, by determining whether it can communicate with all other storage systems (404, 406) it considers to be in-sync for the pod (e.g., via one or more test messages), by determining whether the all other storage systems (404, 406) it considers to be in-sync for the pod also consider the storage system (402) to be attached to the pod, through a combination of both steps where the particular storage system (402) must confirm that it can communicate with all other storage systems (404, 406) it considers to be in-sync for the pod and that all other storage systems (404, 406) it considers to be in-sync for the pod also consider the storage system (402) to be attached to the pod, or through some other mechanism.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may also, responsive to affirmatively (518) determining that the particular storage system (402) should remain online as part of the pod, keep (522) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) accessible for management and dataset operations. The storage system (402) may keep (522) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) accessible for management and dataset operations, for example, by accepting requests to access the version of the dataset (426) that is stored on the storage system (402) and processing such requests, by accepting and processing management operations associated with the dataset (426) that are issued by a host or authorized administrator, by accepting and processing management operations associated with the dataset (426) that are issued by one of the other storage systems (404, 406) in the pod, or in some other way.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may also, responsive to determining that the particular storage system should not (520) remain online as part of the pod, make (524) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) inaccessible for management and dataset operations. The storage system (402) may make (524) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) inaccessible for management and dataset operations, for example, by rejecting requests to access the version of the dataset (426) that is stored on the storage system (402), by rejecting management operations associated with the dataset (426) that are issued by a host or other authorized administrator, by rejecting management operations associated with the dataset (426) that are issued by one of the other storage systems (404, 406) in the pod, or in some other way.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 5, the storage system (402) may also detect (526) that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406) has been repaired. The storage system (402) may detect (526) that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406) has been repaired, for example, by receiving a message from the one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406). In response to detecting (526) that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406) has been repaired, the storage system (402) may make (528) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) accessible for management and dataset operations.

Readers will appreciate that the example depicted in FIG. 5 describes an embodiment in which various actions are depicted as occurring within some order, although no ordering is required. Furthermore, other embodiments may exist where the storage system (402) only carries out a subset of the described actions. For example, the storage system (402) may perform the steps of detecting (514) a disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406), determining (516) whether to the particular storage system (402) should remain in the pod, keeping (522) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) accessible for management and dataset operations or making (524) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) inaccessible for management and dataset operations without first receiving (510) a request to read a portion of the dataset (426) and processing (512) the request to read the portion of the dataset (426) locally. Furthermore, the storage system (402) may detect (526) that the disruption in data communications with one or more of the other storage systems (404, 406) has been repaired and make (528) the dataset (426) on the particular storage system (402) accessible for management and dataset operations without first receiving (510) a request to read a portion of the dataset (426) and processing (512) the request to read the portion of the dataset (426) locally. In fact, none of the steps described herein are explicitly required in all embodiments as prerequisites for performing other steps described herein.

For further explanation, FIG. 6 sets forth a flow chart illustrating steps that may be performed by storage systems (402, 404, 406) that support a pod according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although depicted in less detail, the storage systems (402, 404, 406) depicted in FIG. 6 may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 2A-2G, FIGS. 3A-3B, FIG. 4, or any combination thereof. In fact, the storage systems (402, 404, 406) depicted in FIG. 6 may include the same, fewer, additional components as the storage systems described above.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 6, two or more of the storage systems (402, 404) may each identify (608) a target storage system (618) for asynchronously receiving the dataset (426). The target storage system (618) for asynchronously receiving the dataset (426) may be embodied, for example, as a backup storage system that is located in a different data center than either of the storage systems (402, 404) that are members of a particular pod, as cloud storage that is provided by a cloud services provider, or in many other ways. Readers will appreciate that the target storage system (618) is not one of the plurality of storage systems (402, 404) across which the dataset (426) is synchronously replicated, and as such, the target storage system (618) initially does not include an up-to-date local copy of the dataset (426).

In the example method depicted in FIG. 6, two or more of the storage systems (402, 404) may each also identify (610) a portion of the dataset (426) that is not being asynchronously replicated to the target storage (618) system by any of the other storages systems that are members of a pod that includes the dataset (426). In such an example, the storage systems (402, 404) may each asynchronously replicate (612), to the target storage system (618), the portion of the dataset (426) that is not being asynchronously replicated to the target storage system by any of the other storages systems. Consider an example in which a first storage system (402) is responsible for asynchronously replicating a first portion (e.g., a first half of an address space) of the dataset (426) to the target storage system (618). In such an example, the second storage system (404) would be responsible for asynchronously replicating a second portion (e.g., a second half of an address space) of the dataset (426) to the target storage system (618), such that the two or more storage systems (402, 404) collectively replicate the entire dataset (426) to the target storage system (618).

Readers will appreciate that through the use of pods, as described above, the replication relationship between two storage systems may be switched from a relationship where data is asynchronously replicated to a relationship where data is synchronously replicated. For example, if storage system A is configured to asynchronously replicate a dataset to storage system B, creating a pod that includes the dataset, storage system A as a member, and storage system B as a member can switch the relationship where data is asynchronously replicated to a relationship where data is synchronously replicated. Likewise, through the use of pods, the replication relationship between two storage systems may be switched from a relationship where data is synchronously replicated to a relationship where data is asynchronously replicated. For example, if a pod is created that includes the dataset, storage system A as a member, and storage system B as a member, by merely unstretching the pod (to remove storage system A as a member or to remove storage system B as a member), a relationship where data is synchronously replicated between the storage systems can immediately be switched to a relationship where data is asynchronously replicated. In such a way, storage systems may switch back-and-forth as needed between asynchronous replication and synchronous replication.

This switching can be facilitated by the implementation relying on similar techniques for both synchronous and asynchronous replication. For example, if resynchronization for a synchronously replicated dataset relies on the same or a compatible mechanism as is used for asynchronous replication, then switching to asynchronous replication is conceptually identical to dropping the in-sync state and leaving a relationship in a state similar to a “perpetual recovery” mode. Likewise, switching from asynchronous replication to synchronous replication can operate conceptually by “catching up” and becoming in-sync just as is done when completing a resynchronization with the switching system becoming an in-sync pod member.

Alternatively, or additionally, if both synchronous and asynchronous replication rely on similar or identical common metadata, or a common model for representing and identifying logical extents or stored block identities, or a common model for representing content-addressable stored blocks, then these aspects of commonality can be leveraged to dramatically reduce the content that may need to be transferred when switching to and from synchronous and asynchronous replication. Further, if a dataset is asynchronously replicated from a storage system A to a storage system B, and system B further asynchronously replicates that data set to a storage system C, then a common metadata model, common logical extent or block identities, or common representation of content-addressable stored blocks, can dramatically reduce the data transfers needed to enable synchronous replication between storage system A and storage system C.

Readers will further appreciate that that through the use of pods, as described above, replication techniques may be used to perform tasks other than replicating data. In fact, because a pod may include a set of managed objects, tasks like migrating a virtual machine may be carried out using pods and the replication techniques described herein. For example, if virtual machine A is executing on storage system A, by creating a pod that includes virtual machine A as a managed object, storage system A as a member, and storage system B as a member, virtual machine A and any associated images and definitions may be migrated to storage system B, at which time the pod could simply be destroyed, membership could be updated, or other actions may be taken as necessary.

For further explanation, FIG. 7 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of establishing a synchronous replication relationship between two or more storage systems (714, 724, 728) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although depicted in less detail, the storage systems (714, 724, 728) depicted in FIG. 7 may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 2A-2G, FIGS. 3A-3B, or any combination thereof. In fact, the storage systems (714, 724, 728) depicted in FIG. 7 may include the same, fewer, additional components as the storage systems described above.

The example method depicted in FIG. 7 includes identifying (702), for a dataset (712), a plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) across which the dataset (712) will be synchronously replicated. The dataset (712) depicted in FIG. 7 may be embodied, for example, as the contents of a particular volume, as the contents of a particular shard of a volume, or as any other collection of one or more data elements. The dataset (712) may be synchronized across a plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) such that each storage system (714, 724, 728) retains a local copy of the dataset (712). In the examples described herein, such a dataset (712) is synchronously replicated across the storage systems (714, 724, 728) in such a way that the dataset (712) can be accessed through any of the storage systems (714, 724, 728) with performance characteristics such that any one storage system in the cluster doesn't operate substantially more optimally than any other storage system in the cluster, at least as long as the cluster and the particular storage system being accessed are running nominally. In such systems, modifications to the dataset (712) should be made to the copy of the dataset that resides on each storage system (714, 724, 728) in such a way that accessing the dataset (712) on any of the storage systems (714, 724, 728) will yield consistent results. For example, a write request issued to the dataset must be serviced on all storage systems (714, 724, 728) or serviced on none of the storage systems (714, 724, 728). Likewise, some groups of operations (e.g., two write operations that are directed to same location within the dataset) must be executed in the same order on all storage systems (714, 724, 728) such that the copy of the dataset that resides on each storage system (714, 724, 728) is ultimately identical. Modifications to the dataset (712) need not be made at the exact same time, but some actions (e.g., issuing an acknowledgement that a write request directed to the dataset, enabling read access to a location within the dataset that is targeted by a write request that has not yet been completed on all storage systems) may be delayed until the copy of the dataset (712) on each storage system (714, 724, 728) has been modified.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 7, identifying (702), for a dataset (712), a plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) across which the dataset (712) will be synchronously replicated may be carried out, for example, by examining a pod definition or similar data structure that associates a dataset (712) with one or more storage systems (714, 724, 728) which nominally store that dataset (712). A ‘pod’, as the term is used here and throughout the remainder of the present application, may be embodied as a management entity that represents a dataset, a set of managed objects and management operations, a set of access operations to modify or read the dataset, and a plurality of storage systems. Such management operations may modify or query managed objects equivalently through any of the storage systems, where access operations to read or modify the dataset operate equivalently through any of the storage systems. Each storage system may store a separate copy of the dataset as a proper subset of the datasets stored and advertised for use by the storage system, where operations to modify managed objects or the dataset performed and completed through any one storage system are reflected in subsequent management objects to query the pod or subsequent access operations to read the dataset. Additional details regarding a ‘pod’ may be found in previously filed provisional patent application No. 62/518,071, which is incorporated herein by reference. In such an example, the pod definition may include at least an identification of a dataset (712) and a set of storage systems (714, 724, 728) across which the dataset (712) is synchronously replicated. Such a pod may encapsulate some of number of (perhaps optional) properties including symmetric access, flexible addition/removal of replicas, high availability data consistency, uniform user administration across storage systems in relationship to the dataset, managed host access, application clustering, and so on. Storage systems can be added to a pod, resulting in the pod's dataset (712) being copied to that storage system and then kept up to date as the dataset (712) is modified. Storage systems can also be removed from a pod, resulting in the dataset (712) being no longer kept up to date on the removed storage system. In such examples, a pod definition or similar data structure may be updated as storage systems are added to and removed from a particular pod.

The example method depicted in FIG. 7 also includes configuring (704) one or more data communications links (716, 718, 720) between each of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) to be used for synchronously replicating the dataset (712). In the example method depicted in FIG. 6, the storage systems (714, 724, 728) in a pod must communicate with each other both for high bandwidth data transfer, and for cluster, status, and administrative communication. These distinct types of communication could be over the same data communications links (716, 718, 720) or, in an alternative embodiment, these distinct types of communication could be over separate data communications links (716, 718, 720). In a cluster of dual controller storage systems, both controllers in each storage system should have the nominal ability to communicate with both controllers for any paired storage systems (i.e., any other storage system in a pod).

In a primary/secondary controller design, all cluster communication for active replication may run between primary controllers until a fault occurs. In such systems, some communication may occur between a primary controller and a secondary controller, or between secondary controllers on distinct storage systems, in order to verify that the data communications links between such entities are operational. In other cases, virtual network addresses might be used to limit the configuration needed for of inter-datacenter network links, or to simplify design of the clustered aspect of the storage system. In an active/active controller design, cluster communications might run from all active controllers of one storage system to some or all active controllers in any paired storage systems, or they might be filtered through a common switch, or they might use a virtual network address to simplify configuration, or they might use some combination. In a scale-out design, two or more common network switches may be used such that all scale-out storage controllers within the storage system connect to the network switches in order to handle data traffic. The switches might or might not use techniques to limit the number of exposed network addresses, so that paired storage systems don't need to be configured with the network addresses of all storage controllers.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 7, configuring (704) one or more data communications links (716, 718, 720) between each of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) to be used for synchronously replicating the dataset (712) may be carried out, for example, by configuring the storage systems (716, 718, 720) to communicate via defined ports over a data communications network, by configuring the storage systems (716, 718, 720) to communicate over a point-to-point data communications link between two of the storage systems (716, 724, 728), or in a variety of ways. If secure communication is required, some form of key exchange may be needed, or communication could be done or bootstrapped through some service such as SSH (Secure SHell), SSL, or some other service or protocol built around public keys or Diffie-Hellman key exchange or reasonable alternatives. Secure communications could also be mediated through some vendor-provided cloud service tied in some way to customer identities. Alternately, a service configured to run on customer facilities, such as running in a virtual machine or container, could be used to mediate key exchanges necessary for secure communications between replicating storage systems (716, 718, 720). Readers will appreciate that a pod including more than two storage systems may need communication links between most or all of the individual storage systems. In the example depicted in FIG. 6, three data communications links (716, 718, 720) are illustrated, although additional data communications links may exist in other embodiments.

Readers will appreciate that communication between the storage systems (714, 724, 728) across which the dataset (712) will be synchronously replicated serves some number of purposes. One purpose, for example, is to deliver data from one storage system (714, 724, 728) to another storage system (714, 724, 728) as part of I/O processing. For example, processing a write commonly requires delivering the write content and some description of the write to any paired storage systems for a pod. Another purpose served by data communications between the storage systems (714, 724, 728) may be to communicate configuration changes and analytics data in order to handle creating, extending, deleting or renaming volumes, files, object buckets, and so on. Another purpose served by data communications between the storage systems (714, 724, 728) may be to carry out communication involved in detecting and handling storage system and interconnect faults. This type of communication may be time critical and may need to be prioritized to ensure it doesn't get stuck behind a long network queue delay when a large burst of write traffic is suddenly dumped on the datacenter interconnect.

Readers will further appreciate that different types of communication may use the same connections, or different connections, and may use the same networks, or different networks, in various combinations. Further, some communications may be encrypted and secured while other communications might not be encrypted. In some cases, the data communications links could be used to forward I/O requests (either directly as the requests themselves or as logical descriptions of the operations the I/O requests represent) from one storage system to another. This could be used, for example, in cases where one storage system has up-to-date and in-sync content for a pod, and another storage system does not currently have up-to-date and in-sync content for the pod. In such cases, as long as the data communications links are running, requests can be forwarded from the storage system that is not up-to-date and in-sync to the storage system that is up-to-date and in-sync.

The example method depicted in FIG. 7 also includes exchanging (706), between the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728), timing information (710, 722, 726) for at least one of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728). In the example method depicted in FIG. 6, timing information (710, 722, 726) for a particular storage system (714, 724, 728) may be embodied, for example, as the value of a clock within the storage system (714, 724, 728). In an alternative embodiment, the timing information (710, 722, 726) for a particular storage system (714, 724, 728) may be embodied as a value which serves as a proxy for a clock value. The value which serves as a proxy for a clock value may be included in a token that is exchanged between the storage systems. Such a value which serves as a proxy for a clock value may be embodied, for example, a sequence number that a particular storage system (714, 724, 728) or storage system controller can internally record as having been sent at a particular time. In such an example, if the token (e.g., the sequence number) is received back, the associated clock value can be found and utilized as the basis for determining whether a valid lease is still in place. In the example method depicted in FIG. 6, exchanging (706) timing information (710, 722, 726) for at least one of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) between the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) may be carried out, for example, by each storage system (714, 724, 728) sending timing information to each other storage system (714, 724, 728) in a pod on a periodic basis, on demand, within a predetermined amount of time after a lease is established, within a predetermined amount of time before a lease is set to expire, as part of an attempt to initiate or re-establish a synchronous replication relationship, or in some other way.

The example method depicted in FIG. 7 also includes establishing (708), in dependence upon the timing information (710, 722, 726) for at least one of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728), a synchronous replication lease, the synchronous replication lease identifying a period of time during which the synchronous replication relationship is valid. In the example method depicted in FIG. 7, a synchronous replication relationship is formed as a set of storage systems (714, 724, 728) that replicate some dataset (712) between these largely independent stores, where each storage systems (714, 724, 728) has its own copy and its own separate internal management of relevant data structures for defining storage objects, for mapping objects to physical storage, for deduplication, for defining the mapping of content to snapshots, and so on. A synchronous replication relationship can be specific to a particular dataset, such that a particular storage system (714, 724, 728) may be associated with more than one synchronous replication relationship, where each synchronous replication relationship is differentiated by the dataset being described and may further consist of a different set of additional member storage systems.

In the example method depicted in FIG. 7, a synchronous replication lease may be established (708) in dependence upon the timing information (710, 722, 726) for at least one of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) in a variety of different ways. In one embodiment, the storage systems may establish (708) a synchronous replication lease by utilizing the timing information (710, 722, 726) for each of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) to coordinate clocks. In such an example, once the clocks are coordinated for each of the storage systems (714, 724, 728), the storage system may establish (708) a synchronous replication lease that extends for a predetermined period of time beyond the coordinated clock values. For example, if the clocks for each storage system (714, 724, 728) are coordinated to be at a value of X, the storage systems (714, 724, 728) may each be configured to establish a synchronous replication lease that is valid until X+2 seconds.

In an alternative embodiment, the need to coordinate clocks between the storage systems (714, 724, 728) may be avoided while still achieving a timing guarantee. In such an embodiment, a storage controller within each storage system (714, 724, 728) may have a local monotonically increasing clock. A synchronous replication lease may be established (708) between storage controllers (such as a primary controller in one storage system communicating with a primary controller in a paired storage system) by each controller sending its clock value to the other storage controllers along with the last clock value it received from the other storage controller. When a particular controller receives back its clock value from another controller, it adds some agreed upon lease interval to that received clock value and uses that to establish (708) its local synchronous replication lease. In such a way, the synchronous replication lease may be calculated in dependence upon a value of a local clock that was received from another storage system.

Consider an example in which a storage controller in a first storage system (714) is communicating with a storage controller in a second storage system (724). In such an example, assume that the value of the monotonically increasing clock for the storage controller in the first storage system (714) is 1000 milliseconds. Further assume that the storage controller in the first storage system (714) sends a message to the storage controller in the second storage system (724) indicating that its clock value at the time that the message was generated was 1000 milliseconds. In such an example, assume that 500 milliseconds after the storage controller in the first storage system (714) sent a message to the storage controller in the second storage system (724) indicating that its clock value at the time that the message was generated was 1000 milliseconds, the storage controller in the first storage system (714) receives a message from the storage controller in a second storage system (724) indicating that: 1) the value of the monotonically increasing clock in the storage controller in the second storage system (724) was at a value of 5000 milliseconds when the message was generated, and 2) the last value of the monotonically increasing clock in the storage controller in the first storage system (714) that was received by the second storage system (724) was 1000 milliseconds. In such an example, if the agreed upon lease interval is 2000 milliseconds, the first storage system (714) will establish (708) a synchronous replication lease that is valid until the monotonically increasing clock for the storage controller in the first storage system (714) is at a value of 3000 milliseconds. If the storage controller in the first storage system (714) does not receive a message from the storage controller in the second storage system (724) that includes an updated value of the monotonically increasing clock for the storage controller in the first storage system (714) by the time that the monotonically increasing clock for the storage controller in the first storage system (714) reaches a value of 3000 milliseconds, the first storage system (714) will treat the synchronous replication lease to have expired and may take various actions as described in greater detail below. Readers will appreciate that storage controllers within the remaining storage systems (724, 728) in a pod may react similarly and perform a similar tracking and updating of the synchronous replication lease. Essentially, the receiving controller can be assured that the network and the paired controllers were running somewhere during that time interval, and it can be assured that the paired controller received a message that it sent somewhere during that time interval. Without any coordination in clocks, the receiving controller can't know exactly where in that time interval the network and the paired controller were running, and can't really know if there were queue delays in sending its clock value or in receiving back its clock value.

In a pod consisting of two storage systems, each with a simple primary controller, where the primary controllers are exchanging clocks as part of their cluster communication, each primary controller can use the activity lease to put a bound on when it won't know for certain that the paired controller was running. At the point it becomes uncertain (when the controller's connection's activity lease has expired), it can start sending messages indicating that it is uncertain and that a properly synchronized connection must be reestablished before activity leases can again be resumed. These messages may be received and responses may not be received, if the network is working in one direction but is not working properly in the other direction. This may be the first indication by a running paired controller that the connection isn't running normally, because its own activity lease may not yet have expired, due to a different combination of lost messages and queue delays. As a result, if such a message is received, it should also consider its own activity lease to be expired, and it should start sending messages of its own attempting to coordinate synchronizing the connection and resuming of activity leases. Until that happens and a new set of clock exchanges can succeed, neither controller can consider its activity lease to be valid.

In this model, a controller can wait for lease interval seconds after it started sending reestablish messages, and if it hasn't received a response, it can be assured that either the paired controller is down or the paired controller's own lease for the connection will have expired. To handle minor amounts of clock drift, it may wait slightly longer than the lease interval (i.e., a reestablishment lease). When a controller receives a reestablish message, it could consider the reestablishment lease to be expired immediately, rather than waiting (since it knows that the sending controller's activity lease has expired), but it will often make sense to attempt further messaging before giving up, in case message loss was a temporary condition caused, for example, by a congested network switch.

In an alternative embodiment, in addition to establishing a synchronous replication lease, a cluster membership lease may also be established upon receipt of a clock value from a paired storage system or upon receipt back of a clock exchanged with a paired storage system. In such an example, each storage system may have its own synchronous replication lease and its own cluster membership lease with every paired storage system. The expiration of a synchronous replication lease with any pair may result in paused processing. Cluster membership, however, cannot be recalculated until the cluster membership lease has expired with all pairs. As such, the duration of the cluster membership lease should be set, based on the message and clock value interactions, to ensure that the cluster membership lease with a pair will not expire until after a pair's synchronous replication link for that link has expired. Readers will appreciate that a cluster membership lease can be established by each storage system in a pod and may be associated with a communication link between any two storage systems that are members of the pod. Furthermore, the cluster membership lease may extend after the expiration of the synchronous replication lease for a duration of time that is at least as long as the time period for expiration of the synchronous replication lease. The cluster membership lease may be extended on receipt of a clock value received from a paired storage system as part of a clock exchange, where the cluster membership lease period from the current clock value may be at least as long as the period established for the last synchronous replication lease extension based on exchanged clock values. In additional embodiments, additional cluster membership information can be exchanged over a connection, including when a session is first negotiated. Readers will appreciate that in embodiments that utilize a cluster membership lease, each storage system (or storage controller) may have its own value for the cluster membership lease. Such a lease should not expire until it can be assured that all synchronous replication leases across all pod members will have expired given that the cluster lease expiration allows establishing new membership such as through a mediator race and the synchronous replication lease expiration forces processing of new requests to pause. In such an example, the pause must be assured to be in place everywhere before cluster membership actions can be taken.

Readers will appreciate that although only one of the storage systems (714) is depicted as identifying (702), for a dataset (712), a plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) across which the dataset (712) will be synchronously replicated, configuring (704) one or more data communications links (716, 718, 720) between each of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728) to be used for synchronously replicating the dataset (712), exchanging (706), between the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728), timing information (710, 722, 726) for at least one of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728), and establishing (708), in dependence upon the timing information (710, 722, 726) for at least one of the plurality of storage systems (714, 724, 728), a synchronous replication lease, the remaining storage systems (724, 728) may also carry out such steps. In fact, all three storage systems (714, 724, 728) may carry out one or more of the steps described above at the same time, as establishing a synchronous replication relationship between two or more storage systems (714, 724, 728) may require collaboration and interaction between two or more storage systems (714, 724, 728).

For further explanation, FIG. 8 sets forth an example of a hybrid storage system for synchronously replicating datasets across a cloud-based storage system (803) and multiple, physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406) implemented similarly to the storage systems described in FIGS. 4-7, and in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the example depicted in FIG. 8, the cloud-based storage system (803) is created entirely in a cloud computing environment (852) such as, for example, Amazon Web Services (‘AWS’), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and others. The cloud-based storage system (803) may be used to provide services similar to the services that may be provided by the storage systems described above.

Further, in this example, the physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406) may include some or all of the components described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-7.

As depicted in the hybrid configuration of FIG. 8, one or more datasets (426, 428) may be synchronously replicated among the physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406) and also among the cloud-based storage system (803) implemented within a remote cloud computing environment (852) that is connected across a network (850), such as the Internet. In this example, there are two datasets (426, 428) that correspond to two respective pods (853, 854), where the pods (853, 854) include all features and functionality described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-7.

However, in other examples, not depicted, a hybrid configuration may synchronously replicate datasets across one or more physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406) and also across a virtual machine based implementation of a storage system, such as a virtual machine based implementation of storage systems (306) described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-7. Further, in this example of a hybrid configuration, the virtual machine based implementation of a storage system may be on a same network as the physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406), or the virtual machine based storage system may be at a remote location and connected across a wide area network.

In the depiction of FIG. 8, one or more datasets (426, 428) are synchronously replicated between the cloud-based storage system (803) and the physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406) similarly to the synchronously replicated datasets among only the physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406).

However, in other examples, one or more datasets (426, 428) may be synchronously replicated among the physical storage systems (402, 404 . . . 406), but where the one or more datasets (426, 428) are asynchronously stored at the cloud-based storage system (803).

In this way, in the event of a failure or in the event of a request to reconstruct or clone one or more pods (853, 854), the recovery, reconstruction, or cloning may be performed using only data stored on the cloud-based storage system (803) as a source storage system such that a target storage system, whether virtual of physical, may be used to resume operation of the original storage systems within the context of any prior replication or other relationship for the dataset.

Further, in this example, a target storage system may be one or more physical storage systems, such as storage system (306), or where a target storage system may be another cloud-based storage system, such as cloud-based storage system (803).

For further explanation, FIG. 9 sets forth an example of an additional cloud-based storage system (902) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example depicted in FIG. 50, the cloud-based storage system (902) is created entirely in a cloud computing environment (900) such as, for example, Amazon Web Services (‘AWS’), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and others. The cloud-based storage system (902) may be used to provide services similar to the services that may be provided by the storage systems described above. For example, the cloud-based storage system (902) may be used to provide block storage services to users of the cloud-based storage system (902), the cloud-based storage system (902) may be used to provide storage services to users of the cloud-based storage system (902) through the use of solid-state storage, and so on.

The cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 may operate in a manner that is somewhat similar to the cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 49, as the cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 includes a storage controller application (906) that is being executed in a cloud computing instance (904). In the example depicted in FIG. 50, however, the cloud computing instance (904) that executes the storage controller application (906) is a cloud computing instance (904) with local storage (908). In such an example, data written to the cloud-based storage system (902) may be stored in both the local storage (908) of the cloud computing instance (904) and also in cloud-based object storage (910) in the same manner that the cloud-based object storage (910) was used above. In some embodiments, for example, the storage controller application (906) may be responsible for writing data to the local storage (908) of the cloud computing instance (904) while a software daemon (912) may be responsible for ensuring that the data is written to the cloud-based object storage (910) in the same manner that the cloud-based object storage (910) was used above.

Readers will appreciate that a cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 may represent a less expensive, less robust version of a cloud-based storage system than was depicted in FIG. 49. In yet alternative embodiments, the cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 could include additional cloud computing instances with local storage that supported the execution of the storage controller application (906), such that failover can occur if the cloud computing instance (904) that executes the storage controller application (906) fails. Likewise, in other embodiments, the cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 can include additional cloud computing instances with local storage to expand the amount local storage that is offered by the cloud computing instances in the cloud-based storage system (902).

Readers will appreciate that many of the failure scenarios described above with reference to FIG. 49 would also apply to cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50. Likewise, the cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 may be dynamically scaled up and down in a similar manner as described above. The performance of various system-level tasks may also be executed by the cloud-based storage system (902) depicted in FIG. 50 in an intelligent way, as described above.

Readers will appreciate that, in an effort to increase the resiliency of the cloud-based storage systems described above, various components may be located within different availability zones. For example, a first cloud computing instance that supports the execution of the storage controller application may be located within a first availability zone while a second cloud computing instance that also supports the execution of the storage controller application may be located within a second availability zone. Likewise, the cloud computing instances with local storage may be distributed across multiple availability zones. In fact, in some embodiments, an entire second cloud-based storage system could be created in a different availability zone, where data in the original cloud-based storage system is replicated (synchronously or asynchronously) to the second cloud-based storage system so that if the entire original cloud-based storage system went down, a replacement cloud-based storage system (the second cloud-based storage system) could be brought up in a trivial amount of time.

Readers will appreciate that the cloud-based storage systems described herein may be used as part of a fleet of storage systems. In fact, the cloud-based storage systems described herein may be paired with on-premises storage systems. In such an example, data stored in the on-premises storage may be replicated (synchronously or asynchronously) to the cloud-based storage system, and vice versa.

For further explanation, FIG. 10 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system (1004). Although depicted in less detail, the cloud-based storage system (1004) depicted in FIG. 6 may be similar to the cloud-based storage systems described above and may be supported by a cloud computing environment (1002).

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 includes receiving (1006), by the cloud-based storage system (1004), a request to write data to the cloud-based storage system (1004). The request to write data may be received, for example, from an application executing in the cloud computing environment, by a user of the storage system that is communicatively coupled to the cloud computing environment, and in other ways. In such an example, the request can include the data that is to be written to the cloud-based storage system (1004). In other embodiments, the request to write data to the cloud-based storage system (1004) may occur at boot-time when the cloud-based storage system (1004) is being brought up.

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes deduplicating (1008) the data. Data deduplication is a data reduction technique for eliminating duplicate copies of repeating data. The cloud-based storage system (1004) may deduplicate (1008) the data, for example, by comparing one or more portions of the data to data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1004), by comparing a fingerprint for one or more portions of the data to fingerprints for data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1004), or in other ways. In such an example, duplicate data may be removed and replaced by a reference to an already existing copy of the data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1004).

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes compressing (1010) the data. Data compression is a data reduction technique whereby information is encoded using fewer bits than the original representation. The cloud-based storage system (1004) may compress (1010) the data by applying one or more data compression algorithms to the data, which at this point may not include data that data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1004).

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes encrypting (1012) the data. Data encryption is a technique that involves the conversion of data from a readable format into an encoded format that can only be read or processed after the data has been decrypted. The cloud-based storage system (1004) may encrypt (1012) the data, which at this point may have already been deduplicated and compressed, using an encryption key. Readers will appreciate that although the embodiment depicted in FIG. 10 involves deduplicating (1008) the data, compressing (1010) the data, and encrypting (1012) the data, other embodiments exist in which fewer of these steps are performed and embodiment exist in which the same number of steps or fewer are performed in a different order.

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes storing (1014), in solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004), the data. Storing (1014) the data in solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004) may be carried out, for example, by storing (1016) the data in local storage (e.g., SSDs) of one or more cloud computing instances, as described in more detail above. In such an example, the data may be spread across the local storage of many cloud computing instances, along with parity data, to implement RAID or RAID-like data redundancy.

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes storing (1018), in object-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004), the data. Storing (1018) the data in object-storage of the cloud-based storage system can include creating (1020) one or more equal sized objects, wherein each equal sized object includes a distinct chunk of the data, as described in greater detail above.

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes receiving (1022), by the cloud-based storage system, a request to read data from the cloud-based storage system (1004). The request to read data from the cloud-based storage system (1004) may be received, for example, from an application executing in the cloud computing environment, by a user of the storage system that is communicatively coupled to the cloud computing environment, and in other ways. The request can include, for example, a logical address the data that is to be read from the cloud-based storage system (1004).

The example method depicted in FIG. 10 also includes retrieving (1024), from solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004), the data. Readers will appreciate that the cloud-based storage system (1004) may retrieve (1024) the data from solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004), for example, by the storage controller application forwarding the read request to the cloud computing instance that includes the requested data in its local storage. Readers will appreciate that by retrieving (1024) the data from solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004), the data may be retrieved more rapidly than if the data were read from cloud-based object storage, even though the cloud-based object storage does include a copy of the data.

For further explanation, FIG. 11 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an additional example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system (1004). The example method depicted in FIG. 11 is similar to the example method depicted in FIG. 10, as the example method depicted in FIG. 11 also includes receiving (1006) a request to write data to the cloud-based storage system (1004), storing (1014) the data in solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004), and storing (1018) the data in object-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1004).

The example method depicted in FIG. 11 also includes detecting (1102) that at least some portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system has become unavailable. Detecting (1102) that at least some portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system has become unavailable may be carried out, for example, by detecting that one or more of the cloud computing instances that includes local storage has become unavailable, as described in greater detail below.

The example method depicted in FIG. 11 also includes identifying (1104) data that was stored in the portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable. Identifying (1104) data that was stored in the portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable may be carried out, for example, through the use of metadata that maps some identifier of a piece of data (e.g., a sequence number, an address) to the location where the data is stored. Such metadata, or separate metadata, may also map the piece of data to one or more object identifiers that identify objects stored in the object-storage of the cloud-based storage system that contain the piece of data.

The example method depicted in FIG. 11 also includes retrieving (1106), from object-storage of the cloud-based storage system, the data that was stored in the portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable. Retrieving (1106) the data that was stored in the portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable from object-storage of the cloud-based storage system may be carried out, for example, through the use of metadata described above that maps the data that was stored in the portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable to one or more objects stored in the object-storage of the cloud-based storage system that contain the piece of data. In such an example, retrieving (1106) the data may be carried out by reading the objects that map to the data from the object-storage of the cloud-based storage system.

The example method depicted in FIG. 11 also includes storing (1108), in solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system, the retrieved data. Storing (1108) the retrieved data in solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system may be carried out, for example, by creating replacement cloud computing instances with local storage and storing the data in the local storage of one or more of the replacement cloud computing instances, as described in greater detail above.

Readers will appreciate that although the embodiments described above relate to embodiments in which data that was stored in the portion of the solid-state storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable is essentially brought back into the solid-state storage layer of the cloud-based storage system by retrieving the data from the object-storage layer of the cloud-based storage system, other embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, because data may be distributed across the local storage of multiple cloud computing instances using data redundancy techniques such as RAID, in some embodiments the lost data may be brought back into the solid-state storage layer of the cloud-based storage system through a RAID rebuild.

For further explanation, FIG. 12 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system (1204). Although depicted in less detail, the cloud-based storage system (1204) depicted in FIG. 12 may be similar to the cloud-based storage systems described above and may be supported by a cloud computing environment (1202).

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 includes receiving (1206), by the cloud-based storage system (1204), a request to write data to the cloud-based storage system (1204). The request to write data may be received, for example, from an application executing in the cloud computing environment, by a user of the storage system that is communicatively coupled to the cloud computing environment, and in other ways. In such an example, the request can include the data that is to be written to the cloud-based storage system (1204). In other embodiments, the request to write data to the cloud-based storage system (1204) may occur at boot-time when the cloud-based storage system (1204) is being brought up.

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes deduplicating (1208) the data. Data deduplication is a data reduction technique for eliminating duplicate copies of repeating data. The cloud-based storage system (1204) may deduplicate (1208) the data, for example, by comparing one or more portions of the data to data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1204), by comparing a fingerprint for one or more portions of the data to fingerprints for data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1204), or in other ways. In such an example, duplicate data may be removed and replaced by a reference to an already existing copy of the data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1204).

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes compressing (1210) the data. Data compression is a data reduction technique whereby information is encoded using fewer bits than the original representation. The cloud-based storage system (1204) may compress (1210) the data by applying one or more data compression algorithms to the data, which at this point may not include data that data that is already stored in the cloud-based storage system (1204).

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes encrypting (1212) the data. Data encryption is a technique that involves the conversion of data from a readable format into an encoded format that can only be read or processed after the data has been decrypted. The cloud-based storage system (1204) may encrypt (1212) the data, which at this point may have already been deduplicated and compressed, using an encryption key. Readers will appreciate that although the embodiment depicted in FIG. 12 involves deduplicating (1208) the data, compressing (1210) the data, and encrypting (1212) the data, other embodiments exist in which fewer of these steps are performed and embodiment exist in which the same number of steps or fewer are performed in a different order.

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes storing (1214), in block-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204), the data. Storing (1214) the data in block-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204) may be carried out, for example, by storing (1216) the data in local storage (e.g., SSDs) of one or more cloud computing instances, as described in more detail above. In such an example, the data spread across local storage of multiple cloud computing instances, along with parity data, to implement RAID or RAID-like data redundancy.

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes storing (1218), in object-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204), the data. Storing (1218) the data in object-storage of the cloud-based storage system can include creating (1220) one or more equal sized objects, wherein each equal sized object includes a distinct chunk of the data, as described in greater detail above.

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes receiving (1222), by the cloud-based storage system, a request to read data from the cloud-based storage system (1204). The request to read data from the cloud-based storage system (1204) may be received, for example, from an application executing in the cloud computing environment, by a user of the storage system that is communicatively coupled to the cloud computing environment, and in other ways. The request can include, for example, a logical address the data that is to be read from the cloud-based storage system (1204).

The example method depicted in FIG. 12 also includes retrieving (1224), from block-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204), the data. Readers will appreciate that the cloud-based storage system (1204) may retrieve (1224) the data from block-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204), for example, by the storage controller application forwarding the read request to the cloud computing instance that includes the requested data in its local storage. Readers will appreciate that by retrieving (1224) the data from block-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204), the data may be retrieved more rapidly than if the data were read from cloud-based object storage, even though the cloud-based object storage does include a copy of the data.

For further explanation, FIG. 13 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an additional example method of servicing I/O operations in a cloud-based storage system (1204). The example method depicted in FIG. 13 is similar to the example method depicted in FIG. 12, as the example method depicted in FIG. 13 also includes receiving (1206) a request to write data to the cloud-based storage system (1204), storing (1214) the data in block-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204), and storing (1218) the data in object-storage of the cloud-based storage system (1204).

The example method depicted in FIG. 13 also includes detecting (1302) that at least some portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system has become unavailable. Detecting (1302) that at least some portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system has become unavailable may be carried out, for example, by detecting that one or more of the cloud computing instances that includes local storage has become unavailable, as described in greater detail below.

The example method depicted in FIG. 13 also includes identifying (1304) data that was stored in the portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable. Identifying (1304) data that was stored in the portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable may be carried out, for example, through the use of metadata that maps some identifier of a piece of data (e.g., a sequence number, an address) to the location where the data is stored. Such metadata, or separate metadata, may also map the piece of data to one or more object identifiers that identify objects stored in the object-storage of the cloud-based storage system that contain the piece of data.

The example method depicted in FIG. 13 also includes retrieving (1306), from object-storage of the cloud-based storage system, the data that was stored in the portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable. Retrieving (1306) the data that was stored in the portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable from object-storage of the cloud-based storage system may be carried out, for example, through the use of metadata described above that maps the data that was stored in the portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable to one or more objects stored in the object-storage of the cloud-based storage system that contain the piece of data. In such an example, retrieving (1306) the data may be carried out by reading the objects that map to the data from the object-storage of the cloud-based storage system.

The example method depicted in FIG. 13 also includes storing (1308), in block-storage of the cloud-based storage system, the retrieved data. Storing (1308) the retrieved data in block-storage of the cloud-based storage system may be carried out, for example, by creating replacement cloud computing instances with local storage and storing the data in the local storage of one or more of the replacement cloud computing instances, as described in greater detail above.

Readers will appreciate that although the embodiments described above relate to embodiments in which data that was stored in the portion of the block-storage of the cloud-based storage system that has become unavailable is essentially brought back into the block-storage layer of the cloud-based storage system by retrieving the data from the object-storage layer of the cloud-based storage system, other embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, because data may be distributed across the local storage of multiple cloud computing instances using data redundancy techniques such as RAID, in some embodiments the lost data may be brought back into the block-storage layer of the cloud-based storage system through a RAID rebuild.

For further explanation, FIG. 14 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data in a cloud-based storage system (1400A).

In some examples, a single cloud-based storage system (1400A) may implement staging data as a stand-alone system, without synchronizing data with other storage systems. However, in other examples, a cloud-based storage system (1400A) may implement staging data as part of synchronizing a dataset (1458) across one or more other storage systems (1400A-1400N), where the one or more other storage systems may include hardware-based storage systems or cloud-based storage systems, and where the dataset (1458) may correspond to a pod (1454) as described above with reference to FIGS. 4-8.

In this example, and as illustrated in FIG. 14, the storage systems (1400A-1400N) synchronously replicating a dataset (1458) include both hardware-based storage systems (1400B-1400N) and a cloud-based storage system (1400A) implemented within a cloud computing environment (1401). For clarity, only one cloud-based storage system (1400A) is depicted, however, in other examples, there may be multiple cloud-based storage systems, or multiple cloud-based storage systems without any hardware-based storage systems.

In some implementations, the cloud-based storage system (1400A) may provide similar services as those described for the cloud-based storage systems above, with reference to FIGS. 8-13. For example, the cloud-based storage system (1400A) may be used to provide block storage services to users based on use of services of a cloud-computing environment, such as cloud computing environments described in FIGS. 8-13, including storage provided by virtual computing instances or storage provided by solid-state storage, and so on. Further, the cloud computing environment (1401) may be implemented similarly to the cloud computing environments described above with reference to FIGS. 8-13.

In some implementations, a cloud-based storage system (1400A) may store data in multiple tiers of cloud storage, including a first tier of block storage within a cloud computing instance layer that includes respective local storage and including a second tier of object storage within a cloud-based object storage. For example, with reference to FIG. 3D, a first tier of cloud storage may include cloud computing instances (340 a-340 n), where respective cloud computing instances may include respective storage (330, 342, 334, 344, 338, 346), and where the types of storage are described above. Further, in this example, a second tier of cloud storage may be a cloud-based object store (348), as also described above with reference to FIG. 3D.

In some implementations, a cloud-based storage system (1400A) may provide data storage using multiple types of computational resources. For example, a cloud-based storage system (1400A) may provide data storage using storage elements implemented by cloud computing instances and/or storage provided by provisioned solid state devices within a cloud services environment. Further, the storage elements may be provisioned or configured in accordance with different performance specifications. For example, a cloud services environment may provide provisioned solid state devices of varying storage capacity and/or of varying performance specifications.

In some examples, a first tier of cloud storage may serve as a cache of a second tier of cloud storage, and in such a case, the entire content of the first tier of cloud storage may be reconstructed from the second tier of cloud storage. In other examples, a first tier of cloud storage may include some updates not in the second tier of cloud storage or the first tier of cloud storage may include some updates that are not yet in the second tier of cloud storage, and in response, most, but not necessarily all, of the content in the first tier of cloud storage may be reconstructed from the second tier of cloud storage. In some cases, suitable interaction in the data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage may ensure that the content of the second tier of cloud storage is appropriately consistent.

Further, in some implementations, cloud computing instances for a cloud-based storage system may supply partial front-end datasets for a complete, or “bulk”, dataset stored using cloud storage infrastructure, such as object storage. In this case, a cloud computing instance may be considered to be, more generically, a virtual machine that executes parts of the cloud-based storage system (1400A) implementation.

Continuing with this example, it may be necessary for these parts of the cloud-based storage system (1400A) to reach a consensus that the underlying virtual machine(s) are operating to implement a single virtual storage system in accordance with the rest of this model. In some examples, the cloud computing environment (316) or cloud infrastructure may supply alternate models for ensuring that the virtual machines, high performance storage, and bulk storage used to create a single cloud-based storage system (1400A) is operationally consistent and can interact coherently as a storage system, such as the storage systems described within FIGS. 1A-8.

In this example, the storage systems (1400A-1400N) depicted in FIG. 14 may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 2A-2G, FIGS. 3A-3D, FIG. 8-13, or any combination thereof. In fact, the storage systems (1400A-1400N) depicted in FIG. 14 may include the same, fewer, or additional components as the storage systems described above.

In some implementations, a cloud-based storage system may stage speculative writes in fast memory—where in the cloud-based storage system (1400A) described above, fast memory may be the first tier of cloud storage. However, in some implementations, fast memory may be provided by cloud computing instances that include an application configured as a storage controller. In this implementation, “fast” storage may be a relative measure with respect to one or more other storage elements within a cloud-based storage system (1400A); for example, a first tier of cloud storage may be implemented with storage elements, such as SSDs, that have higher performance response times than storage provided by a second tier of cloud storage, such as an object store.

In these examples, for a cloud-based storage system (1400A), there may be a write into fast storage to record an operation, or record operation results, in a way that makes the operation or the results persistent more quickly—thus enabling one or more of the following benefits, including: (a) enabling operations to be signaled as completed faster; (b) enabling internal storage system processes to be unblocked more quickly while allowing a larger queue of changes to be built up for writing to slower bulk storage; or to reduce the likelihood of temporary data, which may be overwritten quickly, from being written to bulk storage in the first place, thereby improving flash lifespans; or (c) enabling multiple operations to be merged together for more efficient or better organized storage operations, thereby potentially increasing throughput.

One example for reducing bandwidth overhead is for the cloud-based storage system (1400A) to use the fast storage as internal staging space, acknowledging the write more quickly to a storage controller, and then writing to bulk storage at a later point in time—where the later write to bulk storage from fast storage may be invisible to the storage controllers because to the storage controller, the write was persisted, or durably stored at the moment that the write was acknowledge. In some cases, such a write protocol—where a storage controller is unaware of internal transfers of data—may eliminate the need for separately addressable fast durable storage.

However, there is significant flexibility to be gained by allowing the storage controllers to manage the process of transferring data between fast storage and bulk storage, rather than having the cloud-based storage system (1400A) do these transfers implicitly behind the scenes and hiding the fast durable storage from the storage controller. In other words, a cloud-based storage system implementation may gain flexibility for optimizing overall operations by allowing higher level aspects of an implementation to record to fast storage early in a processing pipeline.

In some examples, while storage elements of a first tier of cloud storage may be less durable than storage elements of a second tier of cloud storage, data stored within the first tier of cloud storage of a cloud-based storage system may be made durable, or more durable, based on using one or more techniques for adding data recovery options, such as through the generating and storing data parity information, use of erasure codes, use of RAID configurations, among other techniques described in greater detail within a related application that includes some of the same inventors, which is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.

In some embodiments, a solution to reduce bandwidth for backend data transfers—or data transfers from a first tier of cloud storage to a second tier of cloud storage within a cloud-based storage system—is to utilize staging a write through fast storage. In this example, if the write is first written as three copies to fast storage on the respective fast storage of three separate storage elements, where the contents of that multi-copy write are aggregated with the contents of other writes to form an N+2 protected stripe in bulk storage, then if one of the storage elements selected serving as fast storage is the same storage element to be selected as a source for the eventual write to bulk storage, then the extra storage-controller-to-storage-device bandwidth for transfer to the bulk storage may be avoided by the storage controller instructing the storage element to transfer that data from fast storage to bulk storage.

In some examples, avoiding extra transfers may be achieved by transformations such as merging data stored within a first tier of cloud storage of a cloud-based storage system. In this example, the other two storage elements that stored a respective copy in fast storage retain their respective copy until the final N+2 stripe has been written and committed, but otherwise outside of a fault and recovery sequence, the other two storage elements do not need to perform additional, corresponding, write or copies of the respective copies. In some examples, the format of data written to fast storage is identical to the format of data written to bulk storage, and consequently, no data transformation is needed prior to a transfer. In other cases, where the format of data written to fast storage is not identical to the format of data written to bulk storage, the transfer may include transforming the content during the transfer from fast storage to bulk storage, where the transformation may be based on instructions from a storage controller, and possibly in coordination with merged content from other stored writes in fast durable storage.

In some examples, transfers to fast storage from bulk storage or from fast storage to bulk storage may operate simultaneously, where such parallelism may increase bandwidth or reduce locking contention issues within a storage controller software implementation. For example, a storage controller may use separate, independent and/or parallel, commands to different storage elements, such as a command to write to a storage element in a first tier of cloud storage and a command to read from a second tier of cloud storage, thereby eliminating locking contention while gaining bandwidth for transfers to and from storage elements.

In some implementations, as an optimization of the number of transfers between a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage, if data is accumulated in fast storage for some period of time before being transferred to bulk storage, then a storage controller may determine that some of the content stored in fast storage is no longer needed, or will not be requested, and in response this determination, the storage controller may partially or completely avoid a transfer to bulk storage. Avoiding such transfers may occur based on the determination that data has been overwritten, or if the data is metadata that has been reorganized or optimized. Avoiding such transfer may also happen in cases where deduplication operations include determining that some data has already been written to the bulk storage somewhere in the storage system, thereby avoiding the transfer of data that already exists.

In some implementations, data may be transferred between a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage such that the transferred data coupled with data already present on the second tier of cloud storage can be used to calculate new data to be stored, such as by combining partial data into combined formatted data, or such as calculating content for redundancy data shards from prior intermediate content for redundancy data shards coupled with different intermediate content for the redundancy data shards or content from data shards.

In this example, the various storage elements of a first tier of cloud storage of a cloud-based storage system (1400), individually or in combination, may be used to implement multiple, different RAID levels or combinations of RAID levels. In this example, a RAID stripe is data that is stored among a set of memory regions mapped across a set of storage elements, where each memory region on a given storage element stores a portion of the RAID stripe and may be referred to as a “strip,” a “stripe element,” or a “shard.”

Continuing with this example, with a simple XOR parity-based redundancy shard, a first partial parity calculated by XOR'ing data from a first subset of data shards and a second partial parity calculated by XOR'ing data from a second subset of data shards can be transferred from a first storage element which calculated the first partial parity and from a second storage element which calculated the second partial parity to a third storage element which can then XOR the first and second partial parties together to yield a complete calculated parity which can be stored into bulk storage within the third storage element. In this example, the first storage element and the second storage element are within a first tier of cloud storage, and the third storage element is within the second tier of cloud storage.

Further, in some implementations, Galois field math allows similar partial results to be merged together to store additional types of calculated redundancy shards, such as the typical Q shard for a RAID-6 stripe. For example, with the Galois math described in the paper “The mathematics of RAID-6” by H. Peter Anvin, 20 Jan. 2004, consider that the final Q shard for a 5+2 RAID-6 stripe is calculated as:

Q=g ⁰ ·D ₀ +g ¹ ·D ₁ +g ² ·D ₂ +g ³ ·D ₃ +g ⁴ ·D ₄

In this example, a calculation of a partial Q from just the first two data shards could be calculated as:

Q _(p1) =g ⁰ ·D ₀ +g ¹ ·D ₁

In this example, Q_(p1) may be stored by a storage controller on some first partial Q shard storage element as part of protecting just the first two data shards for the eventual end resulting 5+2 stripe, and this plus an additional XOR parity stored in yet another storage element is enough to recover from any two faults of the devices written for this partial stripe, since as long as the partial stripe is properly recognized as partial, the content from g²·D₂+g³·D₃+g⁴·D₄ can be inferred to be calculated from empty (zero) data shards D₂, D₃, and D₄.

Continuing with this example, a second calculation of a partial Q from the other three data shards could further be calculated as:

Q _(p2) =g ² ·D ₂ +g ³ ·D ₃ +g ⁴ ·D ₄

In this example, Q_(p2) may be stored on a second partial Q shard storage element as part of protecting those three data shards, and as with the first partial Q shard, when coupled with an additionally written partial XOR parity written to another storage element, the partial content is again protected from any two faults since the content from g⁰·D₀+g¹·D₁ associated with the partial Q shard can again be inferred to be calculated from empty (zero) data shards D₀ and D₁.

Continuing with this example, a storage element, such as a storage element within the second tier of cloud storage, which eventually receives both Q_(p1) and Q_(p2) may calculate the Q value for the complete stripe including all five data shards as an appropriate Galois field addition of Q_(p1) and Q_(p2).

As illustrated, FIG. 14 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for performing data storage operations within a cloud-based storage system (1400A) that integrates fast storage and bulk storage according to some embodiments of the present disclosure—where fast storage may be implemented by a first tier of cloud storage and bulk storage may be implemented by a second tier of cloud storage.

Although depicted in less detail, the cloud-based storage system (1400A) may be similar to the storage systems described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 2A-2G, FIGS. 3A-3D, and 4-8, or any combination thereof. In fact, the cloud-based storage system (1400) may include the same, fewer, additional components as the storage systems described above.

As described above, a cloud-based storage system (1400A) integrates fast storage and bulk storage, where as described above, fast storage may be implemented as one or more cloud computing instances within a first tier of cloud computing, and bulk storage may be implemented as a cloud-based object store within a second tier of cloud storage.

In this example, a cloud-based storage system (1400) receives (1402) a data storage operation (1452), such as a read or write operation or some other data storage operation, and determines how to make use of either the fast storage (1454), or bulk storage (1456), or both the fast storage (1454) and bulk storage (1456) in performing, or carrying out, the data storage operation (1452). As described above, a data storage operation (1452) may allow a host computer to make explicit use of all memory types within the cloud-based storage system (1400), or in some cases, the cloud-based storage system (1400) may provide data storage features without revealing specific aspects of the underlying memory types or storage elements. Examples implementations of fast storage (1454) and bulk storage (1456), and various techniques for providing or hiding features, are described above with reference to the description of the memory architecture of a cloud-based storage system corresponding to FIGS. 3D and 8-13.

In this example, the example flow chart includes: receiving (1402), by a cloud-based storage system (1400) integrating a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage, a data storage operation (1452) from a computing device (1451); storing (1404) data (1460) corresponding to the data storage operation (1452) within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) in accordance with a first storage format; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring (1406) the data (1460) in the first storage format from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to a second data format in the second tier of cloud storage (1456).

Receiving (1402), by a cloud-based storage system (1400) integrating a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage, a data storage operation (1452) from a computing device (1451) may be implemented by receiving a message over a network using an application programming interface provided by the cloud computing environment (1401), such as depicted in FIGS. 1A-3D and 8-13, in accordance with one or more network communication protocols.

In this example, the data storage operation (1452) may be a read command, a write command, an erase command, or generally, any type of command or operation that utilizes one or more features that the cloud-based storage system (1400) provides.

In this example, a computing device (1451) may be a remote computing device such as a remote desktop, a host computer, a mobile device, a virtual machine within a cloud computing environment, or some other type of computing device or instance executing either locally within a storage system or at a geographically remote location.

The example method depicted in FIG. 4 also includes storing (1404) data (1460) corresponding to the data storage operation (1452) within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) in accordance with a first storage format. Storing (1404) data (1460) corresponding to the data storage operation (1452) within the first tier of cloud computing (1454) may be implemented by storing (1404) the data (1460) in accordance with a first data resiliency technique implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400) as part of storing the data (1460) within a RAID stripe using a RAID N+2 schema, as described above.

However, in other examples, storing (1404) the data (1460) may be implemented by storing the data, without using a data resiliency techniques, within one or more of the cloud computing instances of the first tier of cloud storage (1454).

The example method depicted in FIG. 4 also includes, responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring (1406) the data (1460) in the first storage format from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to a second data format in the second tier of cloud storage (1456. Detecting a condition for transferring data between fast storage, i.e., the first tier of cloud storage (1454) and bulk storage, i.e., the second tier of cloud storage (1456) may be implemented using different techniques. In one example technique, the condition for transferring data may be successful completion of writing one or more entire RAID stripe and calculating a corresponding parity value. Transferring (1406) the data (1460) from fast storage (454) to be stored as part of a dataset (1458) within bulk storage (1456) in accordance with a second data resiliency technique may be implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400) moving or copying the data (1460) in the fast storage (1454) into bulk storage (1456) as part of a RAID stripe within a RAID M+2 schema in bulk storage (1456), as described above—where the RAID N+2 schema used for fast (1454) is different from the RAID M+2 schema used for bulk storage (456).

However, in other examples, transferring (1406) the data (1460) may be implemented by copying data from block-based storage of the one or more cloud computing instances in the first tier of cloud storage to one or more objects within a cloud-based object store, such as the block storage and object storage described above with reference to FIG. 3C.

For further explanation, FIG. 15 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data within a cloud-based storage system (1400A) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The example method depicted in FIG. 15 is similar to the example method depicted in FIG. 14, as the example method depicted in FIG. 15 also includes: receiving (1402), by a cloud-based storage system (1400) integrating a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage, a data storage operation (1452) from a computing device (1451); storing (1404) data (1460) corresponding to the data storage operation (1452) within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) in accordance with a first storage format; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring (1406) the data (1460) in the first storage format from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to a second data format in the second tier of cloud storage (1456).

However, the example method depicted in FIG. 15 differs from the example method depicted in FIG. 14 in that FIG. 15 also includes determining (1502) a data storage optimization that is applicable to one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage (1454); modifying (1504) the one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to generate modified data (1550); and storing (1506), after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data (1550) within first tier of cloud storage (1454).

Determining (1502) a data storage optimization that is applicable to one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) may be implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400A), where the data storage optimization may be data compression, data deduplication, garbage collection, or some other data storage optimization that results in a smaller storage footprint than the original data, or that results in modified data that may provide efficiencies other than storage size reductions—as described in greater detail above with regard to data storage optimizations applicable to data stored in fast storage, or the first tier of cloud storage of a cloud-based storage system (1400A).

Modifying (1504) the one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) may be implemented depending on the data storage optimization determined (1502) above, where if the data storage optimization is one or more data compression techniques, then the compressed data may be the modified data (1550). Similarly, if the data storage optimization determined (1502) above is garbage collection, then the modified data may be the originally stored data minus, or without the one or more portions that have been identified for garbage collection, so the modified data (1550) is the remaining data after garbage collection. Similarly for the case where the data storage optimization is data deduplication or some other data storage optimization.

Storing (1506), after modifying (1504) the one or more portions of data, the modified data (550) within the first tier of cloud storage (1456) may be implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400A) writing the modified data (1550)—generated by performing the data storage optimizations—into a same or different location within the first tier of cloud storage (1454).

For further explanation, FIG. 16 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data within a cloud-based storage system (1400A) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The example method depicted in FIG. 16 is similar to the example method depicted in FIG. 15, as the example method depicted in FIG. 16 also includes: receiving (1402), by a cloud-based storage system (1400) integrating a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage, a data storage operation (1452) from a computing device (1451); storing (1404) data (1460) corresponding to the data storage operation (1452) within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) in accordance with a first storage format; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring (1406) the data (1460) in the first storage format from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to a second data format in the second tier of cloud storage (1456); determining (1502) a data storage optimization that is applicable to one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage (1454); modifying (1504) the one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to generate modified data (1550).

However, the example method depicted in FIG. 16 differs from the example method depicted in FIG. 15 in that FIG. 16 also includes storing (1602), after modifying (1504) the one or more portions of data, the modified data (1550) within the second tier of cloud storage (1456). Storing (1602), after modifying (1504) the one or more portions of data, the modified data (1550) within the second tier of cloud storage (1456) may be implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400A) writing the modified data (1550)—generated by performing the data storage optimizations—into the second tier of cloud storage (1456).

For further explanation, FIG. 17 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method for staging data within a cloud-based storage system (1400A) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The example method depicted in FIG. 17 is similar to the example method depicted in FIG. 14, as the example method depicted in FIG. 17 also includes: receiving (1402), by a cloud-based storage system (1400) integrating a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage, a data storage operation (1452) from a computing device (1451); storing (1404) data (1460) corresponding to the data storage operation (1452) within the first tier of cloud storage (1454) in accordance with a first storage format; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring (1406) the data (1460) in the first storage format from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to a second data format in the second tier of cloud storage (1456).

However, the example method depicted in FIG. 17 differs from the example method depicted in FIG. 14 in that FIG. 17 also includes determining (1702), based on received write operations and corresponding data payload sizes over a window of time, a data storage consumption rate; and dynamically transferring (1704), from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to the second tier of cloud storage (1456) and in dependence upon the data storage consumption rate and storage availability of the first tier of cloud storage (1454), one or more portions of stored data (1750) at a transfer rate that avoids stalling subsequently received data storage operations.

Determining (1702), based on received write operations and corresponding data payload sizes over a window of time, a data storage consumption rate may be implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400A) tracking and recording, for each write operation received over a given period of time, for example, a defined number of seconds or minutes, data payload sizes for the data written into the first tier of cloud storage (1454).

Further, given an aggregate, or sum of all data payload sizes over the defined window of time, the one or more controllers may calculate a rate at which storage in the first tier of cloud storage (1454) is consumed, where the data storage consumption rate may be calculated as quantity of space consumed over the period of time, where the quantity of space consumed is the aggregate calculation, and the period of time is the defined window of time.

Dynamically transferring (1704), from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) to the second tier of cloud storage (1456) and in dependence upon the data storage consumption rate and storage availability of the first tier of cloud storage (1454), one or more portions of stored data (1750) at a transfer rate that avoids stalling subsequently received data storage operations may be implemented by one or more controllers of the cloud-based storage system (1400A) calculating, based on a quantity of memory already being used and a quantity of storage available, an amount of time at which—given the data consumption rate—there is no free space, or the remaining space is within a threshold amount of provisioned space based on one or more storage policy criteria, such as a quantity of provisioned cloud computing instances beyond a price threshold.

Further, the implementation may include using the calculated time and transferring data from the first tier of cloud storage (1454) into the second tier of cloud storage (1456) before the space in first tier of cloud storage (1454) is consumed, which prevents the cloud-based storage system (1400A) from provisioning additional cloud computing instances that may result in exceeding a storage policy limitation on resources or price.

Example embodiments are described largely in the context of a fully functional computer system. Readers of skill in the art will recognize, however, that the present disclosure also may be embodied in a computer program product disposed upon computer readable storage media for use with any suitable data processing system. Such computer readable storage media may be any storage medium for machine-readable information, including magnetic media, optical media, or other suitable media. Examples of such media include magnetic disks in hard drives or diskettes, compact disks for optical drives, magnetic tape, and others as will occur to those of skill in the art. Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any computer system having suitable programming means will be capable of executing the steps of the method as embodied in a computer program product. Persons skilled in the art will recognize also that, although some of the example embodiments described in this specification are oriented to software installed and executing on computer hardware, nevertheless, alternative embodiments implemented as firmware or as hardware are well within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiments can include be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to some embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a storage controller application executing on cloud computing resources in a cloud-based storage system, a data storage operation from a computer device, wherein the cloud-based storage system includes a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage; storing data corresponding to the data storage operation within the first tier of cloud storage provided using a first cloud storage service; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring the data in the first tier of cloud storage to a second tier of cloud storage provided using a second cloud storage service, wherein the first cloud storage service is different than the second cloud storage service.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data stored using the first cloud storage service is in a first format and the data stored using the second cloud storage service is in a second format.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based block storage resources and the second tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based object storage resources.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based block storage resources offered by a first cloud block storage service and the second tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based block storage resources offered by a second cloud block storage service.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining a data storage optimization that is applicable to one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage; and modifying the one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage to generate modified data.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising storing, after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data within the first tier of cloud storage.
 7. The method of claim 5 further comprising storing, after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data within the second tier of cloud storage.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein the data storage optimization is one or more of: data compression, data deduplication, or garbage collection.
 9. A cloud-based storage system including: a first tier of cloud storage provided using a first cloud storage service; a second tier of cloud storage provided using a second cloud storage service; and one or more storage controller applications, each storage controller application executing in a cloud computing instance, wherein the one or more storage controllers are configured for: receiving a data storage operation from a computer device; storing data corresponding to the data storage operation within the first tier of cloud storage provided using the first cloud storage service; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring the data in the first tier of cloud storage to a second tier of cloud storage provided using a second cloud storage service, wherein the first cloud storage service is different than the second cloud storage service.
 10. The cloud-based storage system of claim 9 wherein the data stored using the first cloud storage service is in a first format and the data stored using the second cloud storage service is in a second format.
 11. The cloud-based storage system of claim 9 wherein the first tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based block storage resources and the second tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based object storage resources.
 12. The cloud-based storage system of claim 9 wherein the first tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based block storage resources offered by a first cloud block storage service and the second tier of cloud storage includes cloud-based block storage resources offered by a second cloud block storage service.
 13. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more storage controllers are further configured for: determining a data storage optimization that is applicable to one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage; and modifying the one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage to generate modified data.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more storage controllers are further configured for storing, after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data within the first tier of cloud storage.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more storage controllers are further configured for storing, after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data within the second tier of cloud storage.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein the data storage optimization is one or more of: data compression, data deduplication, or garbage collection.
 17. A computer program product disposed on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including computer program instructions that, when executed, carry out the steps of: receiving, by a storage controller application executing on cloud computing resources in a cloud-based storage system, a data storage operation from a computer device, wherein the cloud-based storage system includes a first tier of cloud storage and a second tier of cloud storage; storing data corresponding to the data storage operation within the first tier of cloud storage provided using a first cloud storage service; and responsive to detecting a condition for transferring data between the first tier of cloud storage and the second tier of cloud storage, transferring the data in the first tier of cloud storage to a second tier of cloud storage provided using a second cloud storage service, wherein the first cloud storage service is different than the second cloud storage service.
 18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, carry out the steps of: determining a data storage optimization that is applicable to one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage; and modifying the one or more portions of stored data within the first tier of cloud storage to generate modified data.
 19. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, carry out the step of storing, after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data within the first tier of cloud storage.
 20. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, carry out the step of storing, after modifying the one or more portions of data, the modified data within the second tier of cloud storage. 